The Perfect Way

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Scripture:

Psalm 18:30     This God—his way is perfect;
        the promise of the LORD proves true;
        he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Observation:

The Psalmist acknowledges the ways of God and that God’s way is perfect. This is the way of holiness for it is God’s plan that his people follow the pathway that leads them into reflecting his holiness in all things. For those on the journey, God becomes the shield, the grace that continually draws us upward as we trust and take refuge in him. God’s people live in a responsive spirit to his gentle nudges as he keeps us on the perfect way.

Application:

It’s easy to misunderstand the ways of God and imagine that God has designed a “perfect” path for each of us. The problem with this kind of thinking is that we may always be trying to look for the path and we may have a tendency to punish ourselves when we think that we have failed to stay exactly on the path which God has created for us. That is not the Psalmists understanding.

The perfect path is the one that leads us into a deeper walk with God. He is perfect — perfect in his holiness. The perfect path allows us to become what he intended us to be — God’s holy people. There may be detours that we take along the way but it doesn’t mean that we can’t be drawn back into the journey where we are being formed and shaped into his image.

Too often we punish ourselves when we feel that we have failed to live up to a perfect way that God may have planned for our lives. While there are consequences for sin which we may scar us for life, God’s grace continually reaches out as a welcoming shield for those who will take refuge in him. No matter how marred our lives have become from the things of this world, God can take us and clean us up until we become perfect — fulfilling the purpose for which we have been created, which is to reflect Christ. While I may still have the scars from this life, Jesus can be reflected in me. This is the promise of the LORD — and it proves true. Remember, this is David who is writing — the same David who had plenty of times in life when he really messed up.

The perfect way is not out of our reach, for knowing Christ is never out of reach. Take refuge in allowing him to lead onto the pathway of holiness. This is God’s way, and it is perfect.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for the provision of your perfect way. Amen.

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