Right Paths: faith, risk and decisions
"...He leads me in right paths for His name's sake." -Psalm 23:3
If He really does lead me in right paths for His name sake, how can I then say anything but, "You are a good, good Father." For you are a good, good Father- you are a good, and kind God. You are a God who is worth entrusting my whole life and my whole self to.
This scripture speaks deeply to my soul. Do you ever read something a million times and then one day you wake up and read it for the 1 millionth and 1 time and suddenly, things are grabbing at the strings of your heart that you never saw before? That happens to me.
This morning, I read a beloved passage of mine, Psalms 23 and what should jump at me but this- "He leads me in right paths for His name's sake." And I can hardly hold back the tears for the peace that is so deeply filling my soul. He is a God of His word.
I don't know about you, but in my life I have found that it is often very difficult for me to make big decisions. Decisions such as: where I should work, where I should live, what I should study. College or no college? If so, which college? Who should I date? Who should I marry? Do these shoes really go with that dress? Is this a time to step out in faith, or is it just a rash decision? And the list goes on...
I have a vivid memory of a moment in jr. high when God was teaching me about faith and making decisions. It went something like this: I was on a missions trip in San Francisco with my youth group and that morning our youth pastor had shared about walking out in faith. He said it was like a cliff- sometimes God asks us to take a jump off the cliff and trust that He will catch us and carry us. In the moments we are jumping, it can be scary because we don't always see that He is waiting just over the edge to catch us, but we jump because we trust Him.
Later that day I was out on the streets and felt God prompting me to "jump off my cliff," which for that moment meant going up to a homeless person on the street and praying for them. No one was asking me to do it and no one would have known if I didn't do it, but I felt God prompting my heart to step out in faith and I was freaking out. In my head I was hearing the words of my youth pastor, "jump," and God's "Do you trust me? Jump." I said, "but God, I am so scared. I want to do what you are telling me, but I am scared to jump out. I am willing, but I don't know how to move forward. I am scared. Can you please push me? Please just push me..." Then I heard His gentle whisper again, "I will not make you. I don't push you off the cliff. You have to trust me and jump, but I will not make you, the choice is yours."
That day I walked scared past the person on the street, but God used that incident to teach me that life with Him is an invitation to fullness and to life, but He does not force us off the cliff, or out of the boat, or whichever metaphor you would use. He is good and He invites us to deep faith and risks, but the choice is ours to take hold of them.
When it comes to making decisions and big plans for my life, I tend to sometimes freeze up and think, "Is this the right decision? Is it a good one? Even if it is good, is it God's best?" The good and wonderful thing about our Father though, is that He promises to lead us into right paths. I am really starting to think that life with Him is perhaps not as complicated as I sometimes make it out to be. When we are seeking His face, loving Him, walking in obedience and desiring to live for Him, He leads us in right paths. He leads us in right paths for His name sake; He will get the glory from our lives and it will be a beautiful and sweet walk with Him- one where we grow more and more into the redemption and fullness of life that He gives! Also, it will draw others into redemption and fullness of life through Jesus- and what could be better?!
I hope and pray that these thoughts and stories from my heart will encourage you, and you will find yourself overwhelmed by the peace of God. He is a good and kind God who leads us in right paths- paths that are trustworthy and sure; paths that are filled with Him- the One who is goodness itself and who is true life. Let us boldly jump out in faith together, trusting that the One who calls us out will also catch and carry us!
This scripture speaks deeply to my soul. Do you ever read something a million times and then one day you wake up and read it for the 1 millionth and 1 time and suddenly, things are grabbing at the strings of your heart that you never saw before? That happens to me.
This morning, I read a beloved passage of mine, Psalms 23 and what should jump at me but this- "He leads me in right paths for His name's sake." And I can hardly hold back the tears for the peace that is so deeply filling my soul. He is a God of His word.
I don't know about you, but in my life I have found that it is often very difficult for me to make big decisions. Decisions such as: where I should work, where I should live, what I should study. College or no college? If so, which college? Who should I date? Who should I marry? Do these shoes really go with that dress? Is this a time to step out in faith, or is it just a rash decision? And the list goes on...
Later that day I was out on the streets and felt God prompting me to "jump off my cliff," which for that moment meant going up to a homeless person on the street and praying for them. No one was asking me to do it and no one would have known if I didn't do it, but I felt God prompting my heart to step out in faith and I was freaking out. In my head I was hearing the words of my youth pastor, "jump," and God's "Do you trust me? Jump." I said, "but God, I am so scared. I want to do what you are telling me, but I am scared to jump out. I am willing, but I don't know how to move forward. I am scared. Can you please push me? Please just push me..." Then I heard His gentle whisper again, "I will not make you. I don't push you off the cliff. You have to trust me and jump, but I will not make you, the choice is yours."
That day I walked scared past the person on the street, but God used that incident to teach me that life with Him is an invitation to fullness and to life, but He does not force us off the cliff, or out of the boat, or whichever metaphor you would use. He is good and He invites us to deep faith and risks, but the choice is ours to take hold of them.
When it comes to making decisions and big plans for my life, I tend to sometimes freeze up and think, "Is this the right decision? Is it a good one? Even if it is good, is it God's best?" The good and wonderful thing about our Father though, is that He promises to lead us into right paths. I am really starting to think that life with Him is perhaps not as complicated as I sometimes make it out to be. When we are seeking His face, loving Him, walking in obedience and desiring to live for Him, He leads us in right paths. He leads us in right paths for His name sake; He will get the glory from our lives and it will be a beautiful and sweet walk with Him- one where we grow more and more into the redemption and fullness of life that He gives! Also, it will draw others into redemption and fullness of life through Jesus- and what could be better?!
..."He leads me in right paths for His name's sake." -Psalm 23:3
{Pictures in this post are from Costa Rica DTS outreach 2013}
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