The Path of Life

Psalm 81: 1-5 says,’ Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. This He ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when He went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not. The type of journey that Joseph embarked upon in this passage can be likened to those of the early sailors and explorers in their bid to discover and explore new territories. These men all stepped out without knowing the specific details of their destination. They probably kept on looking out for emerging facts as their journey progressed. In the same vein, the Scriptures admonishes us to be both watchful and prayerful (Mark 13:33). This means that we are to stay alert for emerging details as we progress in our walk with God even as we constantly consult Him for continuous direction on how to live victorious lives.

As mentioned earlier, the early explorers were continually on the alert. This trait of alertness was visible in the lives of patriarchs like Abraham, Jacob and Joseph who were all on the look out for the territory that God had prepared for them. They were on the look-out for a city which had foundations whose Builder and Maker is God (Heb 11:10). When they stepped out in faith, God gave them a statute this was supposed to guide them as they sojourned in these foreign lands. This ordinance was meant to keep them on track as they faced challenges. Through these situations they had no known human support structure per se. However, these situations that they faced prompted them to rely solely on God’s leading. With total reliance on Him they stepped into adoption…’those who are led by the Spirit of God are called the sons of God (Romans 8:14) thus preventing them from receiving the spirit of bondage unto fear (verse 15). It also preserved them from inordinate attachment to men which is noted to be the greatest undoing of individuals with great destinies.

Once individuals have not conquered the fear of death, failure and the unknown, they are bound to get off the track of destiny. This happens because the threat of the fear of death is usually an impediment on the path of life. This threat of death was what David made reference to in Psalm 23:4 as ‘the valley of the shadow of death’. The only factor that will enable an individual to successfully walk through this valley (to the table set thereafter) is absolute reliance on God. It is important to note that God does not take individuals through this path to reveal faults in them. He takes them through this particular path to prove the work that He has done in them. He will not take us through tests that we lack the abilities to handle.