Weekly Devotional - August 31, 2012

"If the Lord delights in a man's way,
He makes his steps firm;
though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with His hand."

Psalm 37:23-24 NIV

Life is not lived on level ground. You deal with ups and downs, potholes and ruts, obstacles and challenges. You know those "Adopt a Highway" programs where community groups or Sunday School classes pick up trash along the sides of the roads?  I need someone to do that for the road of life I'm traveling!

And I have someone like that. So do you. His name is Jesus. Do you ever wonder how much stuff Jesus has picked up and removed from your path? We'll never know the full extent of what he does to protect us, but I don't think all the landfills on the earth could hold the trash he removes from our paths.

But sometimes he leaves it there. Sometimes he does not remove the obstacles. Sometimes he chooses to have us deal with the ups and downs. And I don't know why.

Psalm 37 does give insight into how we should live our lives. Just listen to some of the phrases from this psalm. "Do not fret." "Trust in the Lord." "Commit your way to the Lord." "Be still before the Lord." "Refrain from anger." "Turn from evil." "Wait for the Lord."

Can you do those things? Can you live like that? God promises us that his Spirit is with us to help us live like that. The key is to focus on the Lord or, as the psalmist puts it, "Delight yourself in the Lord" (37:4). Do you know what happens when you do that? "He will give you the desires of your heart."

When you delight in the Lord, the Lord delights in your way. He makes your steps firm and upholds you even when you stumble.

How do you deal with the ups and downs you are facing today? You can focus on the stuff in the way or you can focus on the Lord. Pray that God will delight in your way as you delight in him today.