#113 THE ROAD OF GRACE 9-10-26
Life is a journey, and every journey has a road. Some roads are straight, and some are winding. Some are smooth, while others are filled with potholes, construction, and unexpected turns. Sometimes the sun is shining, and sometimes the fog is so thick we can hardly see what is ahead. But the wonderful thing about walking with God is that we do not have to see the whole road to take the next step. God does. He knows where the road leads. He knows every turn before we reach it. And He has promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
The road of grace is not a road without trouble. Grace does not promise that we will never struggle, stumble, hurt, or become confused. Grace promises that God will meet us in those places. When Joshua stood before an unknown future, God told him, “Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). That is the secret of courage. We may not know what is around the next bend, but we know who walks with us.
And we have to learn to stay in our lane. One of the easiest ways to become discouraged is to spend our lives looking at somebody else’s journey. We compare their blessings with ours, their opportunities with ours, their progress with ours. But God did not call me to drive somebody else’s road. He called me to follow Him on mine. “But let each one examine his own work” (Galatians 6:4). Jesus told Peter, after Peter became concerned about another disciple, “What is that to you? You follow Me” (John 21:22). That is still good advice. Stop looking over into somebody else’s lane and keep your eyes on Jesus.
The road also has signs, and God has given us His Word to guide us. Sometimes His Word tells us to stop. Sometimes it tells us to wait. Sometimes it tells us to turn around because we are going in the wrong direction. His commandments are not roadblocks designed to keep us from enjoying life; they are loving directions from the One who knows where the road leads. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). We may not always understand His directions, but we can trust His wisdom.
Then there are those dark stretches of road when we wonder where God is. But the Bible never promises that we will avoid every valley. It promises that God will walk through the valley with us. David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4). Notice the little word through. The valley is not our permanent address. We walk through it. The storm passes. The night gives way to morning. The road continues.
And we need to learn to travel light. Some of us have been carrying yesterday for far too long. We have filled the trunk with guilt, regret, bitterness, disappointment, and things people said years ago. But Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Grace teaches us that we do not have to carry what Christ is willing to carry for us. We can learn from yesterday without living there. We can repent of yesterday without being imprisoned by it. We can forgive and release what needs to be released. There is still road ahead.
Paul understood this. He wrote, “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal” (Philippians 3:13-14). A driver cannot safely move forward while constantly staring into the rearview mirror. The past has a place, but it does not belong behind the steering wheel. Look ahead. There are still people to love, souls to reach, good works to do, prayers to pray, burdens to carry, and opportunities to serve Christ.
So keep moving. You do not have to understand every turn. You do not have to know everything that is waiting beyond the next hill. You simply have to stay close to Jesus. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD” (Psalm 37:23). The road may twist. The weather may change. You may stumble along the way. But the grace of God is greater than the difficulties of the road. You are not traveling alone. Keep your eyes on Christ, trust His direction, leave yesterday behind, and take the next step.
The road may be long, but His grace is sufficient for every mile.
BDD
