Lead Me in a Smooth Path...(Updated and Recycled for a Lenten Devotional)

This post was originally written in 2013, and then shared again in 2017...I can't believe how time flies! Some of you may have already commented on this twice! But, if you are like me, every time I read the Bible or some scriptural devotionals, I learn something new.  I thought perhaps this would be a good post for my current series of devotions for Lent...some thoughts to ponder and inspire our hearts as we approach the Easter season.  

Original Post 1/20/2013:

"Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies..." 
Psalm 27:11

This is NOT a smooth path...

Have you ever felt like the pathway of your life looks like this?  Whichever way you turn, there are obstacles strewn in the way; twisted, tangled masses of thorny vines, scrubby underbrush, rotting, termite ridden logs barring your passage to greener pastures and higher ground.

No matter how hard you try to cut through the briers and brambles of discord, disappointment, fear, sorrow, and enemy ambushes,  you find yourself constantly having to negotiate detours and conduct reconnaissance missions to survey the camp of the enemy and work your way back to a "smooth path".


That is when we find ourselves crying out with the Psalmist David:

"Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, Lord, I will seek.'

Do not hide Your face from me;

Do not turn Your servant away in anger;

You have been my help;

do not leave me nor forsake me, 

O God of my salvation."

Psalm 27:7-9

Oftentimes there are warning signs as we begin our journey, which we choose to ignore thinking that we know a better route to take.  

We allow ourselves to get off the beaten path in search of alluring treasures, or we get sidetracked by the trappings of the world, which turn out to be dried up and useless promises, spreading fungi that trap our souls and eat away at our spiritual health, leaving us empty and barren.  

"Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;

Psalm 16:4

When we find ourselves at a dead end, wondering how we can get back home,  it is not too late to seek the Lord. When we seek His face, He will give us counsel.  He will guide us safely home.

"You will show me the path of life; In Your PRESENCE is fullness of joy;  At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  Psalm 16:11

The Psalmist then concludes with these thoughts:

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see 

the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart;  

Wait, I say, on the Lord!"

Psalm 27:13-14

"The Smooth Path"

Dear Friend,

Where do you find yourself today?  Are you lost somewhere on the crooked, twisted path of anger, frustration, sorrow, defeat, anxiety and fear?  Do you find yourself longing to find that "smooth path" again...the Way to peace and comfort and joy?  It's not too late to turn around.  Stop, right where you are and call upon His name. Wait upon the Lord...

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; 

They shall mount up with wings like eagles, 

They shall run and not be weary, 

They shall walk and not faint."  

Isaiah 40:31

Jesus beckons to us today:

"Come to Me, 

all you who labor and are heavy laden, 

and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 

for I am gentle and lowly in heart, 

and you will find rest for our souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

Come back to the smooth path.  There you will find rest for your soul.

Friday Foto Friends and The "Web"

The "Web"

"Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?

Can the reeds flourish without water?

While it is yet green and not cut down,

it withers before any other plant.

So are the paths of all who forget God;

And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish,

Whose confidence shall be cut off,

and whose trust is a spider's web,

He leans on his house, but it does not stand.

He holds it fast, but it does not endure."

Job 8:11-15

The Good News is:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He shall direct your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6

(All photos from my walks in the woods in the Ocala National Forest)

Welcome to Friday Foto Friends #41! Click HERE to see what others are posting...

I am happy to have found some new friends through the "WEB", specifically the Friday Foto Friends...and it has also helped me to get back in the swing of blogging at least once a week.  It seems as though lately I've been too busy or just too tired to sit down and get focused on writing anything, let alone reading what others are writing.  You would think since my retirement this past fall that I would have all the time in the world...but for those of you who are also retired, you know what happens....it often seems that once you retire you stay busier than you ever did when you were working full time!

I hope you have enjoyed these thoughts from God's Word and pictures from His World.
Have a blessed day, dear friends on "The Web".