The Journey to Somewhere

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  (Psalm 23:3)

Continuing in his book "God's Psychiatry," Charles Allen states: "...the sheep has no sense of direction.  A dog, a cat, or a horse, if lost, can find its way back.  They seem to have a compass within themselves.  Not so with a sheep.  The sheep has very poor eyes.  It cannot see ten or fifteen yards ahead.  Palestinian fields were covered with narrow paths over which the shepherds led their sheep to pasture.  Some of these paths led to a precipice over which the stupid sheep might fall to its death.  Other paths lead up a blind alley.  But some paths lead to green pastures and still waters.  The sheep followed the shepherd, knowing it was walking in the right path.  Sometimes the shepherd led over steep and difficult places, but the paths he followed always ended up somewhere.  The sheep was willing to trust that 'somewhere' to the shepherd's judgment."

Oh how thankful I am to have a wise Shepherd to lead this blind and stupid sheep!  This part of the 23rd Psalm, as well as the most familiar part yet to be discussed, gets to the heart of what it means to have faith.  All of us face times of great difficulty in life.  Some of those times are the result of our own sinfulness, while other times happen without our input or choosing.  The question "Why is this happening?" or "Why did this have to happen?" is as natural and necessary to our existence as breathing.  Devising a worldly answer to that question is a futile effort, because no such answer can satisfy the longing in our souls that prompted us to ask the question in the first place.  If we trust God to lead us, even through the rough patches, then the "somehwere" He has in mind is the answer.  Life is about both the journey and the destination.  God is with us on the journey in order to ensure we reach the destination He has in mind.  Our faithfulness during the journey and our gratefulness for the destination glorifies God...for His name's sake.

Charles Allen adds: "Notice that the Psalm says, 'He leadeth me.'  God doesn't drive.  He is climbing the same hill that we climb - man is not alone.  As we take life one step at a time, we can walk with Him the right paths."

The only reliable compass we have is that of our Shepherd.  He is our "true north."  Let us confidently follow His lead.