Verse by Verse

Hi. I'm Doug Horchak, and this is Verse by Verse, a short podcast all about exploring the insights and lessons of the inspired word of God. Today, we will read some very encouraging words by King David in the Psalms. Notice David's inspired words in Psalm 16 in verse 11. You will show me the path of life.

In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. An amazing phrase that god would show a servant of his, the path of life. What a promise. And in these words, god is showing the path of life that will result in fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.

Now that actually sounds like a dream, doesn't it? And to some, that would be too good to be true. But what is this path of life that David refers to? It's actually a very big subject, but one that is central to the message of the bible. And this path being referred to is actually God's plan and purpose for you and all of mankind for that matter.

However, given the confusion, chaos, and darkness we see in the world today, such a declaration that there is a path of one's life that can lead to joy and pleasures forevermore may be a hard thing to believe. First of all, it's important to know that following god's path for us is based, to a large degree, on our personal actions and decisions. In Proverbs 3 verses 5 through 6, we read a bit more about this promise of god. It says, trust in the lord with all of your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.

So we see that trusting in god and acknowledging him and his ways in all that we do will lead to god fulfilling that promise, a promise to direct our path in life. In one sense, it's like knowing the right directions in order to get to a destination, which brings to mind an incident many years ago when we first moved to the big city of Dallas, Texas, the time when my wife got lost. My wife would be the first to admit that she is somewhat directionally challenged and can find it all too easy to get lost sometimes. However, this day, she was traveling 20 miles or so from our house to a location she had never been before, and she had to drive a few highways and freeways she had not previously navigated alone. But this particular day, she was confident that she would indeed get to her destination.

So for the first 30 minutes or so, she was happily driving in the car, thinking she was going in the right direction. Not a care in the world until until it became apparent she was lost, in fact, very lost, disoriented while traveling down the freeway at 60 miles an hour going the wrong direction. Once she realized she was lost, she went into near panic mode. She called me on the phone, quite distraught about having no clue where she was. Needless to say, I calmed her down, eventually reassuring her of her location.

But being lost is not fun, and it certainly wasn't for my wife. For those of you who have been lost, you understand the very unsettling feeling once it dawns on you that you do not know where you are or where you're going. In a similar way, the apostle Paul describes the world we live in that way. In second Corinthians chapter 4, Paul speaks of those who do not understand the true message of Jesus Christ as actually being lost, living in a world that Paul says is totally blinded. In other words, they cannot see where they are going and do not know the right way or direction.

Yet, there is hope for us and for this world. God shows that his word, his laws, his entire way of life are described many ways, as a light to our path in life, as a compass that straightens our path, as a guide to our journey, as a way to establish our steps. Altogether, the word of god, the way of god, the mind and thinking of Jesus Christ act as a virtual map to those that value and use what god reveals to us. As we read earlier in Psalm 16 in verse 11, if we seek him, god will show us the right path for our lives, a path that, while not always easy, is a path that will result in joy, a destiny that will bring all the goodness and pleasure God desires for us, a journey that will define our purpose and why we were created in the first place. And what a wonderful promise that is.

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