He Guides Me Along Right Paths

 By: Joanne Viola

 “He guides me along right paths …” (Psalm 23:3, NLT)

We all want to know we are headed in the right direction, have made the right choices, and this requires the ability to be led or guided. This might be where the struggle comes in.

Sheep are a funny creature. They require careful and constant attention. Left to go their own way, they would quickly get into trouble. They are also a very stubborn breed who resist guidance. Scripture compares us humans to sheep:

“All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.”
(Isaiah 53:6, NLT)

In his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller gives us a list of several attitudes we need to develop if we are going to be sheep guided on the right path. Let me briefly share them:

1. We become willing to love Christ best and others more than myself. This is selflessness at its best and when we discover living this way, we will discover a delight in being on God’s path.
2. We are willing to be set apart. Instead of following the crowd, we will only follow Christ, even if it means being different than the crowd.
3. We become willing to forego our right in favor of others. We are able to put others first, our rights and desires taking second place to theirs.
4. We are willing to let go of “being the boss”.
   

   “The person who is prepared to put his personal life and personal affairs in the Master’s hands for His management and direction has found the place of rest in fresh fields each day. These are the ones who find time and energy to please others.” (Phillip Keller, page 79)

5. We become willing to accept the circumstances of life with gratitude instead of asking “Why?”. We let go of needing to know the reason behind everything and accept that our lives are in God’s hands.
6. We become cooperative with God’s plans and accept His will. We find contentment in bending our desires and plans to the plans of the Father, recognizing His ways are best and for our good.
7. We become obedient.

These attitudes develop over a lifetime, sometimes more easily than at other times. But as we sheep allow our Shepherd to guide our paths, we will discover again and again, His paths are good. And pleasant. And beneficial.

For He always
guides us along the right paths.

 

Photo by Jonathan Poncelet on Unsplash