Do you have a favourite Psalm? Included among mine is Psalm 5. In it the writer, David, stands as we all do, on the interface between good and evil. From his standpoint, he recognises the very real danger of being swept along with the bad. At the same time, he is aware of how important is his trust in the Lord. This means so much to him; for with the Lord, there is great love, joy, protection and One who hears and answers his prayers.

A recent reading of the Psalm threw out one of those ‘don’t move on just yet, pause and think about this’ moments. It was the last line in verse 5: ‘make your way straight before me.’

Making right decisions is seldom easy when there are many possible solutions. Often, it’s not a simple case of choosing right from wrong – although it can be! In this Psalm, David is presenting us with an alternative approach to decision-making.

He comes from that place where he has entrusted his life to God. You could compare this with the call of the disciples, who left all and followed Jesus. From now on, Jesus would lead them – he would, and did, make his way straight before them. So, when difficult decisions must be made, this approach recognises that, because of my relationship to God and his to me, it is God’s path that counts. It is that path that is sought and which God makes clear because of his love and protection. In this, the thanks and praise belong to Him and we can proceed with rejoicing.

We pray for our country, we pray for God’s people in our land, we pray for our church, we pray for one another that God’s way will be sought and followed in all things. May the embrace of God’s unfailing love hold us all securely in his peace.
Blessings and Love

Norman