Last night Anita and I took in the Seahawks pre-season game against the Minnesota Vikings at CenturyLink Field (Formerly Qwest) with over 60,000 fans. We very much enjoyed the whole experience, our first-time in the stadium on an 80 degree late summer evening, although you’ll have to ask Anita about the garlic fries and the beer-drinking fans which surrounded us on all sides. I’ve attended Seahawk games in the Kingdome, but since it was my first-time at the “new” stadium I didn’t know my way around at all. We were fortunate to find free parking under the Alaska Way Viaduct, about 300 yards from the stadium. Right across the street from the $40 parking; yeah, that’s not a typo, some people pay $40 to park. (Bonus!) We left our seats with two minutes remaining since it was clear the ‘Hawks were going to lose (Fail!) and briskly walked to our car. We started home at 10:00 PM. After sitting at our first stoplight for five minutes, we caught mostly green lights on the Seattle waterfront, past the ferry terminals and piers, navigated through one detour due to some construction at South Lake Union and jumped on the express lane. We arrived home in Bellingham at 11:35 PM. Before you begin to think I was playing speed racer, I set the cruise control at 73. The point is it couldn’t have been a smoother trip home. For those of you reading this not from the Pacific Northwest this trip, in perfect conditions, would normally take about 80-85 minutes.
Today I find myself reflecting on Proverbs 4:5-6 (New Living Translation): “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.” There is a truth far more significant than a smooth trip home from CenturyLink Field following a Seahawks game, I believe the Lord wants me to focus on in today’s post. In case you haven’t noticed lately, life can get complicated. There are delays and detours. There are often dangers, visible and invisible, which appear in our path. There are disappointments, when we are forced to take a path, different than the way we were hoping our life would go. The truth in these two verses shouts encouragement into our soul: When we face delays, detours, dangers and disappointments, the right thing to do is “trust in the LORD…(and) seek his will.”
Later in Proverbs 4 there are very specific instructions to courageously obey, which will keep us on God’s path: VS21-27 (NLT) “Don't lose sight of my words. Let them penetrate deep within your heart, 22 for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do. 24 Avoid all perverse talk; stay far from corrupt speech. 25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. 26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe. 27 Don't get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.”
The only part of these instructions which may be unclear, given the context, is the reference in V24 to “perverse talk” and “corrupt speech.” In the New American Standard (if you’re a frequent reader of this blog you know how much I enjoy using biblestudytools.com) it renders these two phrases as: “deceitful mouth” and “devious speech.” “Deceitful” means “distortion, crookedness.” (Strong’s Concordance) and “devious” means “deviation, perversity, crookedness.”
Since it’s clear from the context these two sections of scripture are focusing on staying on God’s path. One of the temptations and tendencies we will have to avoid when facing delays, detours, dangers and disappointments, is to begin saying and thinking things which are a distortion, deviation and perversion of God’s Word. The Liar, also known as Satan, will seek to influence you and me to doubt the goodness of God and the promise of His good plans. The Liar will launch fiery darts (Ephesians 6:16) your direction, which are attempts (lies, lies and more lies!) to undermine and destroy our faith. To counter this attack from the enemy of our soul, we strengthen our grip on what we know to be true, what we find in God’s Word and what we know to be His will. We defiantly refuse to get sidetracked by anything and everything which seeks to steer our feet towards defeat and discouragement.
I don’t say what I am about to say regarding every blog post, so read carefully…I am absolutely convinced the Holy Spirit has been directing me to write these words today to encourage someone who is deeply discouraged by the path their life has taken. Even as you’ve been reading the Holy Spirit has been renewing your hope and covering you with the peace of Jesus. A new sense of courage to face life is being restored in your spirit. Allow the truth of God’s Word to “penetrate deep within your heart” and the amazing grace of the One who loves you most will begin to displace all the pain, anxiety, hopelessness, fear, and confusion which have been dominating your life.
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