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God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me - my whole life one long, obedient response. Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway! Give me a bent for your words of wisdom, and not for piling up loot. Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets, invigorate me on the pilgrim way. Affirm your promises to me - promises made to all who fear you. Deflect the harsh words of my critics - but what you say is always so good. See how hungry I am for your counsel; preserve my life through your righteous ways! (Psalm 119:33-40 The Message)
1965 found this country boy in Houston, Texas. We went from a town of several traffic lights, no understanding of rush hour, and a slow pace to Houston. At church the pastor and all his family, and I think they must have talked about it before church; all asked if we had seen the "spaghetti bowl" yet? Huh? We ate fideo, but spaghetti was a school dish - we had no clue. They laughed and said it was the freeway system downtown of bridges, overpasses of all the freeways meeting there. We smiled and said, not yet. Some years later I learned to drive in Houston, passed my driving test in Houston and learned all about the freeways, designed to cut travel time between points A and B. Okay in theory. The psalmist in this modern version is talking about getting from point A to point B in his faith walk with the Lord. He knows and want to be obedient to the Lord and using God's commandments as a "freeway," a travel free of distraction for a life blessed by God. God's word is wisdom and instruction, he says; a pilgrim's way in which God's promises are affirmed and blessings are attained. He begs to be free of the criticism of those opposed to him so that he could solely be blessed by God's word. He knows that to be hungry for God's word and counsel is the way to be preserved in God's righteous ways.
The point of this passage to me, is to stay the course with God. Yes, distractions come as do challenges, but the person who stays connected to God gets through all that and finds their way to where God is leading. Whether you can relate this to traveling a freeway to a caliche road you call the "back way," the point is to get where God is leading. We learn all the way there if we're open to it. And all along the way we can be blessed and we can be a blessing to all.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, guide my way to Your knowledge and understanding in a way that builds my faith and helps me be a blessing to You and Yours. Help me avoid distractions and find my way straight to places of rich understandings. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
