Psalm 16:11
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
What is the path of life?
All of us face crossroads every day.
We have questions about our careers, our relationships, and how we should be spending our time in general.
We cry out to God, asking Him to give us a roadmap.
"Tell me what to do to fix this problem."
"Tell me what to do to overcome this obstacle."
"Tell me which job to take, which person to marry, which house to buy..."
Oftentimes, when I pray like this, God seems to be silent...
I read in Psalms that He "makes known the path of life." I come to Him asking for that path, but I leave frustrated because I'm not given a chronological road map of my life.
Do we serve a road map?
Is the value of God that of a 1-800 fortune teller who will tell you when you will marry and when you will die?
We may come to God with a myriad of questions, but at the end of the day, they all boil down to this: "Is it going to work out?".
We all have a picture of how we want our life to go...
We all have a plan.
We aren’t seeking THE path of life, we are seeking a very specific, personalized path.
God has given each of us unique desires and personality traits. He placed us each in a specific time and location under specific circumstances...
Each of us walks a different path.
All of us, though, fall under the experience of "life"
"The path of life" that God reveals may not show you who you will marry, but it provides the answer to every single question you will ever face. (including who you should marry.)
So what is it?
Where can you find it?
Proverbs 8:34-35
Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home! For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD.
The "path of life" isn't a map or an answer key...
It is a person!
Wisdom isn't an answer to a question...
It is a person!
Are you worried about your relationship?
Does it look like you could be laid off tomorrow?
Have you failed again and again and are at the point of giving up?
You don't need an answer...
You don't need a vision of the future...
You need a person!
"In His presence, there is fullness of joy."
"At His right hand, there are pleasures"
We spend so much time looking for joy...
We run from source to source at breakneck speeds seeking pleasure...
We think that if we choose the right career, the right spouse, or the right set of behaviors... we will find these things.
In all of our effort and striving, we run right past the person, coming up empty-handed.
Next time you find yourself at a crossroads...
Next time you ask yourself or someone else, "What do I do?"
Ask yourself this: "Do I need an answer or do I need a person?"