Finding God’s Path for You

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 NKJV emphasis mine

Growing up in the foothills west of Denver, I walked on paths daily. I walked everywhere and everywhere I went was on a path or a dirt road. In all of my walking, I learned several important things about paths. Every path has a destination. Because someone had walked before me, creating the path, I was never the first person on it. This truth assured me that with each step on the beautiful mountain paths, I would eventually reach my destination.

Years later, as a young bride, we received a wedding present, with a simple message and a life changing promise. “Congratulations, Lisa and Tim! Love, The Ditchfields… Psalm 16:11.”

Looking up the verse, I discovered the powerful truth that God has a path for my life. Amazing!

There are three promises in this one verse.

1. God has a path for my life. How wonderful to be reminded that not only is He leading me, but He will be with me in every new place.
2. When I am in His presence, I will find fullness of joy — not necessarily happiness, but joy — the joy of knowing God is with me. When I am filled with God’s joy, there is no room for fear or worry. Strength, peace and the confidence that God is always with me are some of the benefits of being in His presence.
3. The third promise is for “pleasures forever”. What stands out to me is the amazing generosity of God, and He welcomes us to be close to Him, within reach not just for a day but forever. The NIV translation says, eternal pleasures”. This pleasure is not fleeting but will be with me in this life and the next.

Even with these promises, distractions can keep me from God’s best path. A distraction can appear when I settle for something good and don’t wait for God to lead me to His best.

Some relationships, decisions, or my attitude can compromise God’s best for me.

Undercurrents of jealousy, bitterness, resentment, or anger are big distractions. Each one of these obstacles slows the progress of my journey. However, when I focus on God’s leading, pay attention and persevere, the Lord helps me not to stumble and enables me to continue my journey on the path of life.

Daily, I look to follow God because I know when I am on His path, I will be in His presence and filled with joy (even if I am not happy). His joy gives me confidence and strength. On this journey, I daily discover God’s presence, and even into eternity. The promise of Psalm 16:11 fills me with excitement and purpose. It motivates me to keep walking with God on His path on the great adventure of life. I pray it will do the same for you.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Lisa Robertson, author of The Path of Life.

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Your Turn

Would you describe your walk with God as full of joy? With pleasures forevermore? What might be distracting you from His path for you? What do you need to set aside to focus on Him? Come share with us on our blog. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily

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