A Lesson in God's Will

Thus says the LORD: Stand in the ways and see; And ask for the "old paths, where the good way is And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.
Jeremiah 6:16 (New King James Version)

According to the reference: "Old paths probably refers to the Sinai covenant and the Book of Deuteronomy as Jeremiah called the people back to former days of steadfast devotion. The people obstinately refused to walk rightly and find rest. (They didn't want to follow God's wishes). They wanted to "go their own ways" or "do their own thing" as we now say.

I will admit, I did that for many years, and I got nowhere fast. Without going into detail, let me just say my life "regressed" instead of "progressed". I thought I could do just fine without the help of God. After all, it is MY life , I thought. I ended up making a total mess out of it.

It was when I finally realized that I wasn't as smart as I thought I was, and did need God's help that my life started "perking up". The more I prayed the better it got. The more I asked God for help, AND LISTENED TO HIM, the better it got. I'm not saying I have a perfect life now, as long as I am in this body on this earth, there will be trials and tribulations, and I accept that. At least Now I know I have God to turn to. I have God's Shoulder to Cry on, and He has some BIG SHOULDERS.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

How many times have you made a decision only to regret it? Me too! I can't count them all. I still do sometimes, but I have really started to try and Pray about things before I make any major decisions and even some (minjor) ones. That is a word which I picked up on my favorite TV show NCIS. It may not be important enough to be considered a major decision, but too important to be considered minor, hence minjor. OK, now that that's clarified. I pray about ANY decision that involves any other person as well as myself, as I want God to be in control of all aspects of my life, and I don't want anyone being hurt by my decisions, so God is the best one to make that decision. He knows our past, present and future circumstances and life's events, so who better to make the decision? That is why we should NOT lean on our own understanding. We don't know what's around the corner. HE does.

My reference says: The words trust in the LORD echo the command of Deut. 6:5, to love God with all our being. The verb trust is complemented by the verb "lean." Trusting in God is a conscious dependence on God, much like leaning on a tree for support. The idea is reinforced here by the command to acknowledge Him , which means to observe Him and get to know Him in the process of living. In doing so, a person finds time and time again that God smoothes out paths.

During our life time there are many paths we can take. We must be vigilant and take care to make sure that we make the right decisions that will lead us down the "right paths". The only path that counts. The path to heaven. That is the MOST IMPORTANT decision any of us will ever make. Be diligent, pray, read God's Word. That is the only way we will be sure that the paths we are on are the correct ones.So many times the both paths can seem like the right one. That is what the devil wants us to think. The most beautiful path may seem the most inviting, but sometimes that's the one we must stay away from. The devil just changed a few words of what God said to Eve and made her think everything would be all right. Look where that got us.

May God guide and keep you on the "right" path toward Him.

Good night to All and May God Bless!