March 23, 2025 Devo

March 23rd, 2025

“Walking Through the Psalms”
“…teach me your paths.” – Psalm 25:4 (NIV)
“Whose Path Will You Choose?”

Have you ever thought about why you choose the roads you take to the places you go? Most of us probably choose them because they are the fastest roads. We might choose them because they are the easiest roads with convenient access points. Or maybe they’re the roads that avoid things we dislike, such as potholes, traffic lights, or school zones.
My guess is that the same reasoning applies when it comes to deciding where we want to go in our lives. We want to get there fast. We want life to be easy. We want to avoid things that cause us trouble, sacrifice, or inconvenience. Nothing wrong with that, is there?
Perhaps that’s why we often find God nudging us towards paths we wouldn’t choose. God has different goals in mind for us. God has different stops He wants us to make. God might even choose paths for us because He WANTS us to face some challenges in our lives. Let me unpack that a bit for you.
Getting somewhere fast rarely seems to be high on God’s agenda. That’s because He takes a LONGER view than we do. He’s also more concerned about what we’re becoming than He is about our destination. And developing character takes time.
God’s also not just concerned about US. He’s concerned about the others that are along our path as well. I read a story not long ago about a UPS driver who felt God nudging him to turn down a street that he normally wouldn’t have taken. It wasn’t the most direct way to where he was going. But shortly after turning down that street, he came across a person who was having a medical emergency and he was able to help. The turn wasn’t about the UPS driver, it was about an individual in need. That’s how God works!
When David prays, “Teach me your paths,” he recognizes that his paths aren’t always God’s paths. God chooses paths that will help develop us into who He wants us to be. God chooses paths that will allow us to BE a blessing, and not simply be blessed. God chooses paths because they are BEST, not because they are easy. Whose path will YOU choose today? That’s God’s Word for you today.