Ponder Your Path

"Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. ²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil."

Proverbs 4:26-27

In this crooked generation God's people ought to be brave pioneers of righteousness and purity, and our path is the one Jesus Christ has already established us to walk in.  In every circumstance we are directed by God to go the righteous way, for even in temptation God provides a way of escape.

We wander into trouble when we are aimless and are not circumspect concerning 1) where we have been, 2) the direction our lives are heading, and 3) our intended destination.  For this reason the wise Solomon urges those who fear the LORD and have ears to hear to ponder the path of their feet.  Mountain climbers do not reach majestic summits without a clear plan and specialised equipment.  If we do not do the equivalent of climbers who prepare their bodies for altitude and ready gear to traverse known risks which lie ahead, we will fail to reach our potential.  If we do not consider or analyse the path we take beforehand, we will likely make poor choices under pressure.

"Ponder the path of your feet," Solomon said, and we do well to consider the immediate path which lays before us.  In "Empire Strikes Back" Luke Skywalker was criticised by Yoda for being so focused on the distant and murky future he did not consider where he was or what he was doing.  Worrying about his friends and trying to save them was more important than finishing the training which would prepare him for what lay ahead and enable him to save them.  He believed he was ready when he was not ready.  At the end of the film Luke flew away to save others but needed to be saved himself in the end.  Having aligned ourselves with the will of God revealed in His Word, we find our path illuminated.  The wicked do not realise what makes them stumble in the dark.

Continuing along the highway of holiness we are to remove our foot from evil.  Jesus will never lead us into temptation, and we are held responsible to take drastic measures to remove evil influences from our lives.  Ridding ourselves of sinful temptations we know about is a key step in pondering our path and walking uprightly.  Levi Lusko wrote in his book Swipe Right, "Close the computer...walk out of the movie...delete the contact from your phone, break up with that person, change schools, or quit your job if you have to.  Pluck out the eye, cut off the hand.  Do something drastic to your sin, or sin will do something drastic to you.  I know this all sounds way intense - and maybe it is - but know that you can't have a healthy soul and mainline toxic substances." (“Swipe Right: the Life-and-Death Power of Sex and Romance.” by Levi Lusko, W Publishing, an Imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2017, p. 105.)

Having pondered our path, let us continue to progress in faith, hope, and love.  When we are tempted by other routes along the way let us ask ourselves:  where does this darkened, winding passage lead?  Know there are no shortcuts to the celestial city.  May our ways be as established as the Way God has provided for us.