Are you busy, moving and exhausted, and still wondering why you’re not getting anywhere? Have you ever given everything you had to move forward, only to realize you’ve been walking in circles?
A number of years ago, a hiker by the name of Robert Bogucki went out into the Great Sandy Desert of Western Australia. He was not just going for a little stroll. He was looking for something spiritual. But within days, that challenging landscape swallowed him whole. For 43 straight days he wandered through a labyrinth of sand and brush.
When searchers finally found him, the heartbreaking thing was clear. He had walked roughly 250 miles, much of it wandering with no fixed bearing. He had the strength to walk. He had the will to survive. But he lacked a fixed point to tell him which way the road actually led.
Many of us approach our spiritual lives exactly like that hiker. We are busy. We are moving. We are exhausted from trying to live right. But without a fixed point, we get to the end of the year and realize we’ve just been walking in circles, led by our feelings or by the shifting sands of culture.
Well, there’s a better way, and it comes down to staying on a certain road.
A better road than the one under construction
If you’re anything like me, there’s road construction where you live, and it is not at all fun. There are potholes you have to steer around. There’s loose asphalt that can ruin not only your tires but your suspension. And there’s a long line of cars waiting on a worker holding up a sign that says stop or slow.
There is a much better road. The road I have in mind is Scripture. The Bible itself is likened to a road; that’s a metaphor Scripture gives us. Scripture can be the road beneath your feet, the pathway that keeps your life aligned with God’s commands and guides your steps toward obedience.
So how do you know you’re walking the right way on that road? I’d like you to join me in Psalm 119 to find out. In that chapter, the psalmist gives us several pointers for staying on the right road. Let’s take a look at them one by one.
1. Commit to following the Bible resolutely
This first pointer comes out in Psalm 119:102 and 110. Ken Blanchard, who co-authored the bestseller The One Minute Manager, drew a line between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in something, you do it when it’s convenient. When you’re committed, you accept no excuses, only results.
So are you committed to obeying Scripture, or only interested in it?
If you are truly committed to God’s Word, then I’d like to challenge you. With firm determination and unwavering dedication, commit yourself to tenaciously refusing to disobey the Word. I love how verse 102 words it: “I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.”
Even when you’re under pressure, refuse to reject God’s Word. In verse 110 the wicked have laid a snare for the psalmist, and still he says, “I do not stray from your precepts.” Now this is next-level commitment. You hold on to God’s Word resolutely. You do not turn aside from it. You do not stray from it, even when you’re opposed and even when you’re attacked.
2. Keep the Bible’s commands diligently
There’s a slew of verses in Psalm 119 that emphasize this point: verses 1, 3, 4 and 8, 33 and 34, 44, 55 and 56, 167 and 168. Verse 4 says it plainly: “You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.”
In our church, we have many people who serve the Lord with diligence. Similarly, you and I need to put in the careful, conscientious effort to make sure we are carrying out the Word thoroughly and correctly. Do you wholeheartedly give attention to putting Scripture into practice?
In verse 33 the psalmist prays, “Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,” and promises to keep it to the end. Verse 34 asks God for understanding, “that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.” In other words, carry out God’s Word with everything you’ve got. Do what the good book says to do, with gusto. Verse 44 puts it this way: “I will keep your law continually, forever and ever.”
If you have been less than diligent with keeping the commands of the Bible, let me encourage you to confess that to God and make whatever changes are necessary.
3. Obey the Bible promptly and persistently
This third pointer is brought out in verses 60 and 112. In any branch of the military, a soldier is expected to follow orders instantly and constantly. The same standard holds true for us, because delayed obedience to God’s Word is really disobedience.
So rather than procrastinating by kicking the can down the road, respond to the Word of God immediately. Listen to how verse 60 is worded. The Hebrew starts with one word, chashti, which means I hasten, I hurry, I move fast. “I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.”
Not only is it important to obey Scripture promptly. It’s also important to obey it persistently. Verse 112 says, “I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.” When it comes to obeying Scripture, there are no timeouts, no breaks, no vacations, no hiatuses. Resolve to keep at your commitment over the long haul.
4. Proclaim the Bible boldly
When you think of people who boldly proclaim God’s Word, who comes to your mind? Is there a certain preacher you think about? Or maybe a missionary, a Bible teacher, or a content creator on social media?
Psalm 119 tells us to declare and teach God’s judgments, in verses 13 and 172. Verse 13 says, “With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.” So when is the last time you shared God’s Word with someone?
Beyond declaring and teaching, you can proclaim God’s Word by speaking it openly, even before leaders. Verse 46 says, “I will also speak of your testimonies before kings,” and the psalmist refuses to be put to shame. Refuse to shrink back from speaking Scripture in public spaces. With social media, you have the opportunity in this day and age to proclaim God’s Word to a global audience. Imagine that: an international audience exposed to the truth of Scripture.
5. Turn from all evil firmly
Let me ask you this. What do Job and Noah and Esther and Joshua and Daniel and Mary and, of course, Jesus all have in common? They are all well known for rejecting evil and taking a stand against it.
Those who succeed with turning from evil firmly resolve to avoid sinful paths. We see this repeatedly in Psalm 119, in verses 101, 104 and 163. Verse 101 says, “I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.” (Your feet preach more than you think; I wrote about that in Your Feet Preach Every Day.) When temptation comes your way, slam the brakes on yourself. When you’re tempted by the world, the flesh or the devil, don’t cave in. When you’re enticed by shortcuts, choose integrity.
In addition to avoiding sinful paths, you can also turn from evil by grieving over sin. You have a healthy grief over sin when you experience a holy sorrow even over the sins of others. Verse 136 says, “My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.” Notice he’s not referring to himself there. So when is the last time you shed a tear over someone who either does not know the Lord or is not walking closely with him?
The road beneath your feet
So let me summarize. If the Bible is to be the road you walk on, commit to following it resolutely, keep its commands diligently, obey it promptly and persistently, proclaim it boldly, and turn from all evil firmly. Scripture can be the road beneath your feet. It can be the path that keeps your life aligned with God’s commands and guides your steps toward obedience. If you want to go deeper in this same psalm, read Is the Bible Changing You? Three Signs God’s Word Is Your Compass.
It comes down to who you know
Let me say one final word to you personally. If you have never entered into a personal relationship with the God of the universe, you can know the road of Scripture and still be lost. The real problem is not that you lack direction. It’s that you have never gotten on the right path.
So how can you get on the right path? The answer might surprise you. It all comes down to who you know.
Listen to these words from Jesus himself: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). In other words, I am the pathway. I am the road. And then he wraps up that thought by saying no one comes to the Father except through him. A person can’t even get to God outside of Jesus. You get on the right path by trusting in the one who himself is the right path, and that is Jesus.
He lived the life you failed to live. He died for your sins, and he rose again to provide you with eternal life. Instead of wandering in circles, you can turn to Jesus. He is the way. Trust him, and he will lead you along the right road.
If you have committed your life to Jesus, the Way, and you’re yielding your way to his way, please let me know. Maybe today you’re rededicating yourself to Jesus because you’ve gotten off track and have been crashing into cul-de-sacs and dead ends. Let today be your turning point. Head over to the video and simply write the word Jesus in the comments, and I’ll know exactly what you mean.
Until next time, may God grant you and yours his strength for today.
