My morning scripture reading took me to Psalm 27, one that has been a favorite, thus quite familiar to me from past readings. The things I like about this particular psalm is that I can ask God to teach me. I’ve been told by several individuals that I am “teachable” which pleases me. I never want to arrive to a place in my mind  believing that I have learned everything there is about God, life or myself. Having said that, verse 11 is where I landed and where I focused my meditative thoughts. The verse says: “Teach me your way O Lord, lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.”  While I currently don’t feel oppressed, I’d be a liar if I said I’ve never felt that way. But, what I want to focus on right now are two key words that stood out to me..way…and path.

If I’m to remain teachable, it’s important for me to learn truth. I can think of no better truth than that of God and He has provided an excellent book to give me what I need–His written Word, the Bible. He possesses all truth and IS the way of truth and life. I looked up the Hebrew definition for “way” and found that it means: choice, alternative, possibility, pick, selection, intention, direction, aim, tack, course. Wow I thought–those expansions on the definition sure shed some light on my morning pursuit to understand “what is the way of the God?”

Society and culture are waging battles to lure me into making choices every day, believing alternatives to God’s established truths, picking and choosing what I can and should believe. All I have to do is browse social media  and my mind is flooded with a wide range of opinions on important topics.  If I lack direction pursuing truth I can easily get off course. I LOVED seeing the word tack among the definitions because I  love being on the water in the safety of a boat, especially one with sails. Anyone who has ever sailed knows that the person manning the sails HAS to know how to tack. Otherwise, the boat won’t move along in the waters or even more dangerous, get off course.

So, to know God’s way and His truth, proper direction and aim are necessary components when  capturing true knowledge of who He is and what He wants me or you to know in order to live according to His will. How else do we pursue this goal? We do so by allowing Him to lead us on a straight path, a trail that is smooth, level, a journey, orbit or circle, in His manner. Wow again! How many times do we refer to our faith life as a “journey” or feel like we are going in “circles”? I don’t believe the word “circle” here is being used as negative, that feeling of describing our personal chaos as “going in circles”; the picture I have of this word is that God can bring us “full circle” in life, in circumstances, from beginning to the end of ourselves.

My brief study of these two words–way and path–certainly were not exhaustive, therefore, I don’t want to think or believe that I’ve totally examined this one verse, but what my short study revealed to me and has left an imprint on my spirit is: I am a woman who needs continual teaching and what I learn should be God’s way, not mine. I am encouraged to ask Him to lead me while I’m learning. My path of life is always going to take me through circumstances and encounters with opportunities that want to pull me in a variety of directions. But, God says even though those oppressors are along my path, He will keep me on course. He’ll do the tacking. He’ll keep the path smooth and level. I cannot think of a better course to follow than that of God’s perfect will for my life and wear the correct shoes while on the path.