Watch Over My Way

The other day I heard someone say that they were starting to believe in karma, an eastern philosophy which is (in part) about good being rewarded with good, and evil being rewarded with evil. Of course God Himself was the creator of this principle. He calls it justice, and the world runs on it.

In Psalm One, we read,
"For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish".

Call it justice, sowing and reaping, karma or any other name you choose, if we give things enough time, we will receive that which we deserve.

Every day I want to make sure that I am doing what I need to do so that God will watch over my way. The beginning of this same Psalm shows us exactly how to do it.

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
or stand in the way of sinners,
or sit in the seat of mockers".

I can just see this guy's evil twin brother! He walks into a room where bad advice is given out freely, he stands there taking in what these people are saying about their exploits, then he sits down and joins in. It all seems very normal, even friendly. But it is so far from blessing and from God.

The man who is blessed has perfected the art of being in the world but not of it. He doesn't walk around being "hungry" because he is spiritually well fed. Have you ever walked past a bakery when you are hungry? Everything smells so good. It is always better to go to the supermarket when you have just eaten, or you may end up with a trolley full of stuff you don't even remember buying.

Same with our spiritual lives. Being full of the blessing of God is a great safeguard against swallowing spiritual "junk". For me, I see the things of God most clearly when I'm worshiping or praying. That's when I become spiritually filled up. Maybe that is why this bit of good advice appears at the very beginning of God's book of praise and worship. When your field of vision is full of Him, you are not easily drawn into life's junk-food aisle.

Be a daily worshiper, even if you don't think you sound good. When you go to church, try to get there in time for all the praise and worship. Be keen, and grab the opportunity as if it is the last time you will get to do this before meeting Him face to face. (It might be good to turn up in heaven knowing all of the words.)

Worship matters. It isn't the TV theme for church, that bit of music at the start that tells you the show is beginning but you haven't really missed anything yet. Praise is vital, it keeps us healthy and it blesses God.

So walk into His presence, stand before Him, and sit at His feet. God loves everybody, but He "watches over the way of the righteous".