Right Passage

Right Passage
Written by Pastor Carmela E. Head
The Renewal Center

What a memory!  I clearly remember traveling along on the road during a vacation on my way to a destination I had never been.  While casually driving, enjoying the serenity of the view around me and enjoying the quietness, all of a sudden, as I was in the middle of a five-lane highway with multiple signs approaching leading in every direction, my GPS began buffering and a blanket of uncertainty engulfed me.  “Oh no!  Where am I supposed to go?” My thoughts raced as I wondered which exit to take.  "Do I take the bypass?  Do I enter the underpass? Which road leads where?"  Questions quickly began reeling throughout my mind.  

With each approaching exit, I could not see if I would land in traffic, enter a suburb, or go into the city. The seconds on the clock were moving!  With enough time, the GPS regained its function and led me onto the right passage where I confidently stayed on course until my destination.  My connection to the GPS’s course of direction had always been there, but in that moment of feeling it was out of reach, I had momentarily lost my grip to my sense of direction.

I cannot say that I was not anxious at that moment.  I was.  I was uncertain.  I began to wonder which lane I needed to be in and what I would determine to do. But in the midst of the uncertainty, I remembered the confidence I gained and the peace that came when I finally heard that familiar sound of the GPS leading me into the direction I needed to go into.  There was such a relief. There was a clear passageway for me to enter.  I was back on board with clear insight into where I was going.

There was a comfort in knowing that I was accurate.  It was because I knew that I was on the right passage. I was now going in the right direction. In an instant, from a moment of uncertainty, my confidence and assurance were regained.

David was known as “A man after God’s own heart.” Through-out the book of 1 Samuel and the book of Psalms he encountered places of uncertainty on his journey as a minstrel for King Saul as well as during his tenure of being the second King of Israel.  Through-out his journey he was faced with many challenges, from being in places of uncertainty to feeling distant from the Lord and he often felt that he was off course in his purpose.  But as we read the account of David and his testimonies, we see his constant yearning for the direction, the confidence, the protection and the guidance of God.  

There were many places in Davd's journey where he found himself uncertain and waiting for clarity of which way to turn and which way to go.  As he waited, he sought God, for instruction, for guidance and for right passage.  Imagine the praise, the joy and the excitement David felt when he knew he was on back on track and headed in the right direction.

He encourages us through the scriptures in Psalms 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (ESV)
 
Psalms 23: 1-3 David writes, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still water.  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” (NKJV)

Psalms 25: 4 says, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow.” (NLT)

Psalms 61:2 encourages us, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. (NKJV)

Right passage from the Lord always brings us clarity and accuracy.  His guidance reassures us and gives us true direction when we are faced with which direction to take.  We can take comfort in knowing these scriptures that show King David’s fervency to seeking God’s voice for His leading.

Even when David felt he could not trace Him, the Lord’s presence was always there ready to guide him in the right passage and course of direction.  As David sought God for accuracy, we, too, can glean from this:  to seek right passage from the One who knows our ultimate plan, purpose and direction.  He will make our way straight and bring clarity into our journey.













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