Psalm 27:11 NLT

'Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me.'

In the age of the satnav, it’s easy to forget how to find one’s way without this electronic guide. I get frustrated because it seems to take me on the least attractive route, which means motorways. So I now adjust my control panel to exclude motorways; while taking longer over my journeys, I now see far fewer cars and often wonderful scenery.

Reflecting on my walk of faith, I am comfortable when I am on a familiar path. But wilderness introduces me to a geography I do not know and across which the paths may not as yet have been laid. In other words, it’s my responsibility to pioneer my path across a strange landscape. My inclination is never to mind when I get lost. And where time was once of importance to me and I stressed over making good use of it, today I’m far more relaxed and enjoy moments rather more than preconceived outcomes.

One thing is certain; crossing the wilderness means time is of little relevance to the journey. It is both purpose and destination that counts, as the Magi discovered. As a young man I had plans for my life, pathways in part conceived from my own preferences and in part from observation of the choices and ambitions of those I observed around me. I formulated a way of life in my imagination, one that while it served me, was not guaranteed to serve the will of God.

God’s will is a difficult conundrum at the best of times. It has to be a formula of God’s scriptural revelation mixed with the testimony and tradition drawn from God’s faithful disciples. It was only through a process of unlearning that I recognised, and then practised with much uncertainty, God’s way as directed by God.

QUESTION: Are you entrusting your footsteps to the way of God?

PRAYER: Lead me, O Lord, along the paths of righteousness; lead me safely through the dangers.