Scripture

Psalm 5:7-8 (NLT)

Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe. Lead me in the right path, O LORD, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.

Consider

It’s an elementary concept: If you want to know what God has in mind for you, ask him!

The psalmist gives us a beautiful image of God’s approachability, made possible by God’s unfailing love for us. Who else in your life can offer you love that is reliable, unconditional, and available 24/7? In such love as this, God welcomes our knock on the door and invites us into his holy presence, where he shows us his heart, teaches us what we need to know about ourselves, and gives us wisdom for dealing rightly with adversaries.

With our minds set right and our hearts thus fortified, we can navigate hostile circumstances with integrity that protects us from following wrong paths and getting ourselves into trouble.

The psalmist’s key to successful navigation is to seek God before making choices, to approach God first with a thankful and listening heart. The alternative is to ignore God’s invitation to conversation and choose our own path instead. Without consulting God, we have only the world’s wisdom to guide us, so we are likely to respond in kind to the evil that is done to us, giving back insult for insult, hurting back as we have been hurt. This tactic only makes us vulnerable to sin and victims of our oppressive circumstances rather than conquerors.

If you would act wisely, seek God before you jump in with a best-guess solution to a thorny problem. Make time to sit in God’s holy presence and just listen. With humility and deepest awe, receive the love and wisdom God has for you.

Pray

FATHER, your unfailing love for me is beyond my understanding. Give me ears to hear your call when I am facing adversity and don’t know where to turn. I pray for humility to seek your guidance and faith to trust that your ways are always best for me.

Reflect

Proverbs 14:12; James 1:5

Ponder

When is the best time of day for you to seek God’s company?