YOU CHART THE PATH AHEAD OF ME...

... AND TELL ME WHERE TO STOP AND REST.

Yesterday, I thinking how perfectly God fits things together, and I remembered a phrase that I'd read in the Living Bible years ago...

"You chart the path ahead of me..."

I managed to find a Living Bible on my shelf and looked it up. In Psalm 139:1-7 it says:

"O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit or stand.
When far away you know my every thought.
You chart the path ahead of me,
and tell me where to stop and rest.
Every moment, you know where I am.
You know what I am going to say before I even say it.
You both precede and follow me,
and place your hand of blessing on my head.

"This is TOO glorious, too wonderful to believe!!
I can never be lost to your Spirit!
I can never get away from my God!!"

Amen!!

May I say SELAH!!! Let's stop a moment and think about that!!!
Reread those verses and let them sink into your spirit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay.....

Now today, in my morning (or afternoon - I slept in) reading of Luke's gospel, I was reading chapter 2. How awesome is our God? Look, He is there charting the path ahead of our Lord before He was born. He was preparing the right circumstances for Joseph and Mary so that the birth of Jesus would fit in with prophecy.

I want you to imagine Joseph and Mary there in Nazareth. They knew that within Mary's womb was the Saviour of the world... the promised Messiah. They also would have known the prophecies given about the coming Messiah. One of those was that He would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David. But they were in Nazareth.

Maybe they could have thought about this and tried to figure out how to get to Bethlehem so that the prophecy would be fulfilled? I know I may have done that. I possibly would have done some enquiring about travel and accommodation, and made sure that everything was in place. Sometimes we think we have to help God to get organised.

Or maybe Joseph and Mary didn't think too much about it. All those prophecies were too confusing, so why bother to figure it out? And then they get this letter in the mail saying there was to be a census. Caesar Augustus had decreed that all the world should be registered, and that everyone had to travel to their home town to be registered. Here is Mary about 8 months pregnant and they are expected to travel, all over taxes!! I think many of us would have done a lot of complaining about the government of the day, and their unrealistic expectations.

BUT....

... let's get our eyes off the natural circumstances, annoying as they may be. And let us look at what God was up to.

YES!! Here He is charting the path ahead of the Messiah to be born in the RIGHT place and according to prophecy. How awesome!! God used the everyday and frustrating circumstances to bring about His plan.

So then, let us remember that in our day-to-day life!

Dear Lord, may we not complain when things don't go as we'd like them to. May we not complain when people try and frustrate our plans. Lord, may we trust you and know that You are working all things together for our good.
We praise You, Lord, that Your ways are PERFECT!!

"As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the LORD is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him."
(Psalm 18:30, NKJ)

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28, NKJ)