The Path Principle
“This is God’s universe and He does things His way. You may have a better way, but you do not have a universe.” J Vernon McGee
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 16:25 ESV
It takes a weak man to stop and ask for directions. Or at least that is what I used to think. My wife has traveled down so many wasted miles patiently waiting for the stupid light to go on in my head. She is going to need someone to help carry all her crowns in Heaven! Why am I so stubborn?
Why are we all so stubborn? Our past is littered with proof that we can be wrong. So why do we fight so hard to do it our way? This issue boils down to trust. Who do I trust more, my word or God’s word? My path or God’s path? When I pick the path of sin, I display for all to see that at some level I just don’t trust God in this choice. The choice of a dead-end path is a statement of “I have a better way or a better thought on the matter.” Trusting God is actively trusting His character. Not only trusting that He is all-knowing, but that He is omni-benevolent, meaning He is all good. You see, when God says “Don’t,” all He is saying is, “Don’t hurt yourself, just trust me.”
This trust cord is tied to something. Trust is tethered to our heart. At the core of man’s heart is pride. We want to be right at all costs. We also want all those around us to acknowledge our “rightness.” My pride at times won’t allow me to trust the wiser way or a different angle. This is why the Lord said to Isaiah and the Nation of Israel in Isaiah 55:8-9, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'” So when it comes to choosing a path, will we trust His way, His choice? Or do we pick the path that seems more right to us?
This is why a Scripture-soaked mind allows you to see what I call “the wisdom of the wisdom of God.” Someone once said that wisdom is a collection of statements of “I’ll never do that again.” This is why the older we get, the more wisdom we gather. But in the meantime, as we age and while wisdom is being collected and our minds are being soaked, we must choose to trust Him over our pride, over our thoughts and our ways. Never forget that Jesus never guesses; He only knows. Jesus is never informed. Jesus never has an “aha” moment. Trust Him, for this is His universe.
