But…He blocked my path.

This year, one of my favourite verses is Psalms 23:3:

He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

It gives me great comfort to know that My Father doesn’t guide me on any path that is not right. This assurance laid the trust foundation for me to jump without worrying as much as I used to, knowing Daddy will surely catch me.

The mention to “right paths” stuck with me. If there are “right paths”, there surely must be “wrong paths”!

I recently came across the story of Balaam who was called by King Barack to curse the Israelites. Check out Numbers 22:22-34 for the full story. This story showed how our desires can blind us to the blockers that God placed in our paths to stop us from progressing down the wrong path. The thing with these blockers is that they will cause something to happen to us. Like the angel in Balaam’s path:

1. A blocker can force you to redirect your path. The donkey diverted from the road they were travelling on into a field. (verse 23)
2. Trying to get around a blocker can result in you getting hurt. The donkey tried to squeeze by and in the process crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. (verse 24-25)
3. A blocker can cause you to come to a total stop/halt, unable to progress further. The donkey stopped and laid down in the street. (verse 27)

If you are anything like I used to be (and sometimes still am), you sure would have gone down a lot of wrong paths. Side note: I used to consider myself the poster child for getting into scrapes (paths) that were not God-ordained. I would often imagine how frustrated God got with me as He steered me away from one scrape after the other. I call them my “Come, booboo come!” moments! God knows I’ve had so many of them!

I hope, by now, I have you reminiscing, thankfully, about some of the times that God lovingly steered you away from the wrong paths. I am sure you are better for it!

I also hope you paused to consider your current situations. Are you currently on a path that is bringing honor to God’s name? What blockers have God placed in your path that, being blinded by your desires, you just cannot see? Are you like Balaam who was so blinded by his desires that he didn’t even realize that his donkey spoke? Will you continue to force your way down the wrong path, ignoring all of God’s blockers and their results?