As a young man I thought I hit on a fool-proof way to stamp the Lord’s approval on my areas of interest. I hatched my plan from this passage in Proverbs:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

My interpretation? If I trust God, he will carve paths straight to where I want to go in life. If I do this for God, then he is obligated to do that for me. It felt like a lever to move the Almighty.

I approach God this way because I interact with people this way. I lean toward others to help them, but at times also subtly maneuvering them toward my desires. This heart of deceit is as old as the serpent whispering to Eve, who manipulated Adam, who tried to hide from the Lord.

Proverbs also says your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines your paths. My game of quid pro quo with the Lord yielded unintended consequences. In the original plan, I carved the path and the Lord blessed it. As things worked out, the Lord directed me along paths of his choosing. And you know what? I’m so happy he did.

All along I meant to follow paths to peace and prosperity. However, those roads actually belong to God, and they require a toll—submission to the Lord. Not simply a head nod, but deep acknowledgement of the Lord’s kingship over me.

It’s the wisest decision you’ll ever make, and once that’s settled you can wander his paths and enjoy the journey laid before you.

Proverbs 3 & 5 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Patrick Fore

I stumbled up a path criss-crossed with tree roots and winding through dense trees. No moon shining, the blackness forced me to shuffles and curses. Then a friend came along with a flashlight (pre-cell phone era) and I stepped confidently again.

Sometimes we walk a path in the darkness. The psalmist experienced such days, dealing with deceitful and unjust people, all while feeling God’s distance. His prayer in this frustrating time strikes me:

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!

In the midst of anguish and injustice, the psalmist prayed for more of the Lord, for the light of truth. He asked the Lord to show up in bold and inexplicable ways—a light no one would miss.

When darkness crowds in here’s a better prayer than just asking for relief. Praying for the light and truth of God to illumine both my life and those around me clears a path for all of us.

Psalm 43 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Lucas Hoang

The last several months I’ve been part of a team of people from my church helping resettle two families of Afghan refugees. In fear for their lives due to their work as security guards at a U.S. airbase, these young parents fled with children in tow to start over in Colorado.

None of the group speaks or reads English. As I observe them settle in, I see their need to understand the language. We track down translators to help them as much as possible, like at the bank or with job interviews, but help is not available most of the time. Working to learn English remains priority one—it’s the beginning of a successful life in this country.

In the same way, if I want to seek knowledge, if I hope to understand instruction and gain wisdom, then I should know where to start. It’s not the internet, and it’s not the great universities of this land. Rather, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

These words of Solomon, the wisest of all kings, reverberate through the ages. To fear the Lord, to acknowledge his rule in my life, to respect his hand and to live his ways start me on the path towards a truly successful life. Maybe not as a social media influencer, but as a person of depth and character.

To live in a place where the language is inaccessible creates severe challenges. To hope for wisdom in life without the fear of the Lord means I’ve chosen a severe path. Don’t join the foolish crowd. Turn toward the Lord and his way of knowledge.

Proverbs 1:7 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Ivan Shilov

Steel is an alloy made up of iron with typically a few tenths of a percent of carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron (thank you, Wikipedia). Steel is high strength and relatively low cost, so builders use it for skyscrapers, ships, tools, rockets and my refrigerator.

You can’t grab a girder made of steel and tease out the iron from the other ingredients. Heat melted them together. Much like the Lord’s love for those who surrender our lives to him.

For I am sure the neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As strong a steel may be, I’ve seen steel girders twisted from intense heat. The love of God, on the other hand, stands the test of fire, as well as any test thrown at it. Nothing in all creation pulls that love away. His love melted into and through our souls.

An astounding promise for those who follow Jesus. I’m not worthy, but I believe that’s the point. Nothing can possibly cleave us apart from the God’s love because it doesn’t depend on us—it depends on the Lord of all Creation on whom we depend.

If you need a reminder of this profound love and care for you, spend a few days reading and re-reading Romans chapter eight. Let the truth settle. No matter what, nothing separates those who are in Christ Jesus from the love of the Lord.

Romans 8 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Luca Upper