Today’s Lectio Divina: Excerpts from Psalm 17. (MsgB)
I’m not trying to get my way in the world’s way.
I’m trying to get Your way, Your Word’s way.
I’m staying on Your trail; I’m putting one foot
In front of the other. I’m not giving up.
In our self-centered, self-seeking, self-edifying world, it’s quite common to hear this expression:
It’s my way or the highway!
These words, or variations of the same, are spoken daily by all of us earth-dwellers. Whether it be in our marriages, our jobs, our families, or even in our churches, the My-Way Highway is a very familiar road for most of us.
Without a doubt, the My-Way Highway is a road well-traveled. A path well-worn.
Too bad you and I spend so much time wandering down this popular trail. Especially when our God stands off to the side, offering us a much better option. A hidden way that leads to a much more beautiful destination. A pathway to life so overlooked by so many of us human beings. A road more demanding, but so much more scenic than those buy-it-now billboards plastered along the well-populated My-Way Highway.
Apparently King David had his fill of running down this pathway called ‘My Way.’ In Psalm 17, he’s singing to God, telling Him that he’s never going back to that self-seeking, self-demanding, self-serving pathway that leads to total destruction.
He had found a New Way.
A God-Way. A Path of Peace. A Trail to Tranquility. A Road to Righteousness.
Or wait…
Had the God-Way found him?
In the shadows of the Old Testament, we only get a glimpse or two of God’s road less traveled. David had chosen it, but dare I say, he didn’t comprehend it like those of us who live on the other side of Christ’s appearing.
When Jesus of Nazareth arrives on the scene, He immediately begins talking about this Highway to Heaven that King David had discovered so many centuries before. From Jesus’ perspective, this road that demands God’s way instead of my Way, is narrow indeed. Other pathways that insist self to be in charge are broad avenues. Interstate highways of self-centeredness carrying unending traffic to and fro, from this world to the next.
But Jesus says the Way of Truth and Life is a simple pathway, cutting through all kinds of dangers and road hazards. And while this God-way to Heaven is not a popular one, those who take it one step at a time, like King David states, will find an ever-increasing breath of fresh air along the way.
So who’s up for an adventure?
Anybody tired of the same old same old?
How about you and I get off the beaten path of the My-Way Highway and journey awhile on the God-Way? My gut tells me as I learn to defer to Him, making His way my way; this Highway to Heaven will become the only way I want to travel.
See you on the Road to God.
My prayer: Lord, I’ve had enough of the My-Way Highway. I’ve seen where it gets me and it’s a lonely, desolate place. I choose this day to stay on Your Way where deferring to You and preferring Your will to mine is the gold standard for life eternal. Holy Spirit, empower me to keep on Your trail; putting one foot in front of the other; and not giving up. For Your name’s sake. Amen.
My questions to ponder: Have I checked my roadmap lately? Have I wandered away from God’s Way, Truth, and Life, preferring instead to do things my way? Has my stubbornness in taking care of myself first and foremost taken me off track? What mid-course corrections do I need to make so I can get back on the straight and narrow with Jesus of Nazareth?
So what is God speaking to you today as you ponder the Psalms?
Over a 50-week period, you and I will take a deeper look at The Psalms: God’s Songbook of Prayers. In order to keep all the blog sessions organized, we suggest you bookmark our Contemplating the Psalms home page for ease of use. Keep in mind that one of the best ways to explore the on-going applications of this blog series is to walk alongside a biblically-based, Christ-centered spiritual director who is familiar with how to make material like this part of your overall spiritual formation in God. Many of our directors in our Sustainable Faith-Heartland network are available to companion you in your journey with Jesus. Click here for more info.
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