“The Steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord: and he delights in his way.
Though he may fall, he shall not be
utterly cast down: for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”
Psalm 37:23-24 (NKJV)
Over the last few months I have been back and forth
from Montgomery to Georgia and back many times. I am helping my sister take
care of my mom, who lives over there.
As I have gotten older the size of my bladder has
seemed to shrink. So, I make it a habit of stopping at the recently- renovated
Alabama rest stop in Valley.
One of the things they have at the rest stop is
Alabama Highway Maps. I am always surprised to see them since we live in a
completely digital world where we get our directions on GPS and our phone. I
always grab a new once each year. I thought about it recently as I couldn’t
remember why. I never look at it. I never use it. But it is familiar and
comforting to know I can look at it on the chance that I have no Wi-Fi. It can
help get from one location to another.
We often view Scripture in the same way. We look at
our Bibles and we may even read when the pastor quotes from it on Sunday
mornings and Wednesday nights. But what about every day? As we see in the quote
above from Psalms, God measures our steps. He gives us direction, tries to keep
us from falling, and picks us up when we do.
In Proverbs 3:5-6 we are commanded to “Trust
in the Lord with all your heart lean not on your own understanding; in all your
ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Further, in
Psalm 32:8, God reminds us that “I will instruct you and teach you in
the way you should go…”
How do we do that? We have the ultimate resource in
the Bible. The great Christian General, Robert E. Lee, was fond of reminding
his friends and students he found all the answers to life’s troubles and
questions in Scripture. General “Stonewall” Jackson would consult his Bible every
morning, afternoon, and night. Neither made any major move without prayer and the
reading of the Good Word.
While we may not be to the level of Lee or Jackson,
there is nothing preventing us from reading scripture daily. When we fail to do
this, we become lost, our steps become faulty and we may even stumble.
Make time each day. Give the Lord fifteen minutes each
day (at least). You will be rewarded with vision and clarity and be moved in
the right direction. The Bible is your spiritual “map” to use, to hear God’s
word each and every day. God has given us the ultimate resource- use it!
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