December 2, 2016

STRAIGHT PATH AHEAD

Deuteronomy 31:8

But the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not be afraid, nor be terrified.

Encouraging Word

Deuteronomy finishes out with the transition of the leadership of the nation of Israel from Moses to Joshua, In this transition, Moses encourages Joshua multiple times on who God is and how God will be always present and always active in the lives of the people who follow Him. In this verse, we are reminded that God goes before us and paves the path of our lives. The psalmist repeated this in Proverbs 3:5-6 when he said, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." My God is not some fickle, big man in the sky, distant, judgmental, dictator that has given me all kinds of rules to follow and who never gets involved in my life. He is compassionate and merciful. So much so that He sent His only begotten Son to be born of a virgin, to live His life as a human being, to die a vicious death after living a sinless life, and then come back to life destroying death. Jesus makes my path straight. He goes before me. He is with me. He never leaves or forsakes me. So I am never afraid or terrified. Thank You, God!