Look for the clear path

Psalm 44:6

I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not give me victory; NIV

Since David wrote much of the Book of Psalms, I initially assumed he wrote this one.  Not  so.  This one is titled, “A Psalm of the sons of Korah.”

I am very unclear about who Korah was, but, his sons hit it right on the money.

Just as David knew (when he was a small boy off to kill a giant with nothing but a few smooth stones and a sling shot) it’s not the tools you make or buy here, nor the abilities that you were given that make you successful … it is God who is all powerful. It is God who is the ultimate victor.

The next verses make that point, “but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.  In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.” NIV

I like that last verse even better in The Message, “All day we parade God’s praises — we thank you by name over and over.” MSG

When God saves me from a trial or delivers a victory, I am flooded with a tide of relief and thanksgiving.  I find myself thanking and praising God over and over.

The thing is, God always comes through.  It may not be the answer I want to hear or the scenario that I want to unfold, but, if I look closely, I can see God’s hand over every victory in my life.

So … why don’t I trust that?  Why do I worry and try to be successful on my own?

Our house, like many, is built around a stairwell.  There is a doorway on the south end of the stairwell that opens to the back of our house, and one on the north end that goes to the same room … the northern one is in the kitchen.

Our house is not large, so, at Christmas, when we put up the tree, we put it in front of the southern doorway.  This keeps it relatively out of the way and also allows us to see the tree from two rooms.  For the month of December, we come and go from one part of the house to the other through the kitchen.

Last weekend, our Sunday school class came for brunch.  I was eating in the front room with one of my dear classmates when the cat began to climb across the packages under the tree and through the lower branches.  As her head popped out on our side, she purposefully gave me a look that said, “This is extremely difficult!”  Not only did had I put a tree in the doorway, but, now there were boxes under the tree with slippery wrapping paper that were blocking her way.

As the cat jumped down off the box and shook her ears, someone said, “Why does she climb through there?”

I said that I didn’t know … it would be so much easier to just go through the kitchen.

My dear friend said, “Don’t you know that that’s what we do with God all the time?”

She’s right.

God provides a clear path … He has already won the battles … He is responsible for all things … He cares for me … He has provided provision for me.  And yet, like the cat, I often seek out the most challenging path.  Inevitably, as I traverse the rocky terrain, I come to fear that I will not be successful. And then, when I’ve emerged victorious, I’m extremely thankful that God has saved me from the trial.  Just like that verse says, I thank Him by name over and over.

My life would be less worrisome if I were more obedient … if I would trust God and look for the paths that He already has cleared for me.

That’s what I’ll think about today.