Psalm 119:105-112

Psalm 119:105-112 
English Standard Version (ESV)

 I still remember printing out the directions for our trip to Europe.  We went not long after we were married, and would be driving a rental car around northern France for several weeks.  This was long before we had any smartphones, so I went and printed out weeks' worth of turn-by-turn directions, hoping that we wouldn't deviate too severely from them, trusting our map-reading skills if we did go astray.  In our entire trip, we only got lost once!
  Now that smartphones have thoroughly inundated our culture, there are stories wondering if they are harming our ability to navigate.  While that's a debate for another day (and perhaps another blog), what's important is that we spend some time thinking about what is guiding our feet.  As the old saying goes, if you don't know where you're going, any road will do.
  What's the guiding principle by which you make decisions?  How do you decide what to do if you're torn between two choices?  Do you pick what makes you happier?  Do you flip a coin?  Perhaps you sleep on it. 
  What the Psalmist is saying is that the Word of God is the light by which he goes forward.  The rules of God are the map for his life, and trusting that this is the best path forward, the Psalmist has peace in his soul as he relies upon the Truth of God's Word.
  For the decisions we often face in the world, finding a verse in the Bible that directly guides us can be tough, but the ethics laid down by Jesus can always guide our ways.  Choosing what is selfless and what lifts up the other, choosing what honors God and builds up community -- when we make these choices, we opt for the path of faithfulness and glorify God, bringing peace to our restless hearts as well.