Hosanna Restoration Church

Pull over. As I was reading this verse, I heard in my heart, “pull over.” If we are going the wrong direction, we should pull over. Since the joy of the Lord is our strength, we have joy! We may need to work to find it, but it is there. Those who trust in the Lord will be joyful. That is what God says so that is what I want.

Anytime that I read His word, and my thoughts or actions are not lining up with what it says, I need to pull over! Fifty years ago, I was traveling all over the United States for work. There was no GPS then. We used paper maps. I spent a great deal of time pulling over to the side of the road to make sure where I was. After I found my bride, she was my navigator. Even then, we often stopped to figure out if we were going the right way!

We all know that if we just keep going in the direction we are going and it turns out to be the wrong way, it is not the way to go. Still, it is difficult sometimes to acknowledge that we are wrong. Again, we need to pull over. We need to figure it out.

Jesus spent a great deal of time trying to help the religious leaders see that they were going the wrong way, using the very words that they were using to keep them going the wrong way. They just could not change directions.

Do you stop and turn around when you realize you need to go in a different direction? When I was reading Proverbs 16:20, I was not joyful. I was just reading it. I did not have the right attitude; I was just getting it done. So, I pulled over and put joy to work. Don’t just keep going! Allow God to speak to you and work in you so he can work through you.

I think of Judas who decided to betray Jesus. He should have pulled over, but instead he kept going until the devil had him convinced it was the right thing to do.

We need to stop and consider what God says. We need to allow His words to guide us. We cannot live on our own. Jesus told us that we cannot do anything without Him. If we try, our hearts harden and our selfishness increases. Hebrews 12:28 reminds us that we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, so we should be thankful and praise the Lord. When we are going the wrong way, neither one of these things are operating in our lives.

Psalm 101 is a dandy! It reminds us first to praise Him. I will be careful to live a blameless life. I won’t look at vile things or have anything to do with crooked people. I will not slander (or gossip). There are a lot of places to pull over as we read and say help me, Lord. Isaiah 41:13 reminds us that the Lord is with us to help us. John 1:4 reminds us that Jesus is the Light and we should walk in the light! We just need to pull over and allow His light to guide us.