“Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left” (Proverbs 4:25-27).
Some time ago, I attempted a short hike with my husband. Although the path was not long, it was somewhat rocky and uneven. After walking for a brief time, I began experiencing such back pain that I was unable to continue. We then tried another path, but became bogged down in mud. We ended our hiking and enjoyed a scenic drive instead.
This verse reminds me of that experience. My wandering eyes can draw me down paths of examining other people’s activities and abilities. I also have moments when I am tempted to look backward, getting pulled down into the memories of my past life and the health I possessed then.
These directions will not keep me on firm ground, but rather will lead me to envy, discontent, and discouragement. An annotation to the above verse reads, “Consider the paths for your feet”. Where I choose to walk is a choice I must make. Every day, I can choose the firm direction of God’s Word and truth, having the assurance that He knows what is best for my life and is guiding and sustaining me as I walk. If I choose the uneven paths of comparing myself to others or of looking back, I become more lame and disabled (Hebrews 12:13).
Although Christ’s path is level and firm, it is not always easy. Yet His Word says that though I stumble I will not fall, for He upholds me with His hand (Psalm 37:23). He will broaden my path and keep my ankles from turning (Psalm 18:36). I want to finish this walk of life and arrive at my heavenly destination in victory, not defeat. By fixing my eyes on Jesus, I’m going to make it (Hebrews 12:2).
Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me the faith to trust in Your direction for my life, rather than my own understanding. As I commit my way to You, You will direct my paths. (Proverbs 3:5,6). Amen.
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