He Knoweth the Way

He goeth before you, He knoweth the way
When He guides your footsteps you can’t go astray
Smoothing the rough place, oh be not afraid
He goeth before you, He knoweth the way.

Most of you will be aware that in eastern lands the shepherd goes ahead of his sheep and the sheep follow him. In those lands there is much barren ground and many steep and rocky places. The sheep would never be able to see that after going through these places there is pasture and quiet waters - but the shepherd knows and he leads them through.

I think we are too ready to take our own way through each day and as a result we get stuck in the barren places.  Often, it is not that we mean to be headstrong or disobedient - it is simply that we are used to setting our own course and we do it without thinking. Then, when things have gone wrong we cry to Him for help.

Thankfully, He comes again and again and picks us up but how different it is when we deliberately, consciously, commit the day into His hands and ask Him to go before us, to lead us. Sometimes it can help if we think of where we are going to be that day, who we might meet, what difficult situations we might be in - and ask Him to go before us, to lead us over the rough ground and rocky places, strengthen and guide us each step of the way. If we are conscious of letting Him lead, we can find that He gives us wisdom in what we say and strength in the difficult places. And we begin to learn that His ways are better than our ways and this is the best way to live.

He will walk with us, but we need to allow Him to be the guide. And, in time, we will find again that there are green pastures and still waters - and He restores our souls.

Jennifer Jack