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 ESV)
What lies ahead for you in 2022? Do you have a vision or goal of where you want to be next year at this point? Are you “pondering the path of your feet” so that “your ways will be sure?” Are you so sure of the correct path that you are able to refrain from swerving “to the right or to the left?”
With all of the uncertainty in the world it might seem presumptuous or even arrogant to tell someone, “I’m confident in my plans for this next year. I’ve got a path to traverse and I will stick to it.” However, the path of truth for each of us is outlined in Scripture and if we are dedicated to it, God will take care of all the situations that arise in our lives throughout the next year.
Proverbs 3:5-6 states “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (ESV). I hope that each one of us will have our paths straightened by God this year. But the prerequisite to these beautifully straight walkways is that we trust His ways instead of our own silly ideas, and that we recognize who He is and all He’s done for us.
So… Do you know the path to take this next year or are you fearfully fretting about all of the things that might potentially go wrong for you? My hope and prayer is that each one of us can use these last few days of 2021 to seek the Lord and His plan for next year. That we would choose to turn our feet “away from evil” and be single-minded in our pursuit of Jesus and His holiness.
By: Pastor Jay Mast
