“Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Psalm 34:14
One of the joys of living in the urban downtown sprawl of historic Puebla is that we have not been shackled to the confines of car. We walk to school every day, we walk to buy our groceries, and we walk to a host of amazing restaurants, parks, and coffee shops that are all within a stone’s throw. Both being native Texans we have always been fascinated at the thought of living without a car and it has been extremely freeing…how ironic. But we do have access to a car and twice now in 4 months I have jumped behind the wheel to usher us around our new home. And just like riding a bike, it all came back. Strap in, push the gas and simple turn that wheel where you want to go. And so it also is in this life, strap in, take every day as it comes and then steer your life in the direction you think it should go. The real question is, where are you getting your directions, and do you always steer in that direction?
Psalm 34 is clearly labeled in its source inspiration. David was on the run from Saul and in fear for his life, he strayed too far into the land of the enemy, the Philistines. David believed that he would be killed by Saul so he did what most of us would do, he created great distance between himself and his enemy. But in doing so, in steering his own life, he ended up right out of the frying pan and right in the fire. Finding himself in dire straits, he acts crazy, foams at the mouth and succeeds in getting himself kicked out of the royal Philistinian throneroom. He quickly makes haste back to the unknown, yet more secure setting of a remote cave. I think that as David got back to the familiar confines of a lonely cave, he thanked God for it and wondered how he had ever allowed himself to do his own steering. You see, when we take the wheel with no Godly GPS direction in our hearts, our journeys will be wayward indeed.
God’s GPS direction for our lives is clear in Psalm 34, steer away from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it. The coordinates are set, the little GPS voice is telling you where to go and where to turn…but will you follow? When you see evil in your life will you turn your wheel and get away or will you instead just keep cruising along. We live in a world today that is filled with people that seem to love evil and purposely steer right into it, especially online. You see people trawling around the internet just looking for someone they can bait into a verbal fistfight. God’s direction is just the opposite, seek peace and pursue it. A heart that belongs to Jesus Christ will forever seek to be close to the peace that lies only within Him. The Holy Spirit infused heart will seek to relish in that peace, to live in it, rolling around in it like a young calf in spring grass. Don’t deny your heart’s desire to live in that peace, it is a desire fueled by the Holy Spirit that lives within all Christ confessing believers. Seek it out, chase after it, and in doing so, you will find yourself leaving the path that leads to evil, for you will never find the cities of evil and peace close together. Today, set your GPS to God’s Word. Study it, love it, live it, do what it says. And then wherever it takes you, commit to following it with your whole heart. And as a result, you will find yourself steering in the direction of a locale that will be filled with the goodness, peace, freedom, purpose, and harmony of God. And as the evil and sin of this world call for you to change your route, decline and refuse to turn that wheel. Hold firm, grip that wheel with confidence, and take a road trip with the Lord that will be abundant in its joy.
“And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Isaiah 58:11
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11
“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” Proverbs 4:25-27
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