Homemaker's Haven: God's Promise of Guidance

Psalm 23:3 "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

It has been said that it takes 21 days to eliminate a bad habit and replace it with a new one. Have you ever heard of this or done it? I've had failure and success. It seems that the old ways ~ i.e. "bad", "wrong", "lesser" ~ are so deeply ingrained that it almost seems impossible to improve or change them!

Why? Mrs. George sums it up with one word ~ REPETITION! She writes, "It is said that a habit is a custom/practice that's acquired by repetition. A habit is an action that, due to repetition, increases in performance and decreases in resistance. So, by repetition, an action becomes automatic, and a habit (good or bad) is born."

So, is there any hope for us to break habits that aren't pleasing to the Lord? Psalm 23:3 reveals yet another role the Shepherd takes in our lives ~ "He LEADS us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." That means that if we stay close beside Him and walk where He guides us, our habits will eventually change and will ultimately honor His name. We'll develop holy habits.

The Paths:

Webster's Dictionary defines a path as "a track or way worn by footsteps; a trail." We live near an historic site of the Oregon Trail. To this day, you can still see the lines etched into the earth by the literal thousands of covered wagons that made this venture in the 19th century! Talk about repetition! I knew of a woman who daily visited her daughter and granddaughter who lived next door to her. In a matter of weeks, she had worn a path that connected the two homes!

The Hebrew word for "paths" or more literally, "ways" means literal tracks made by constant use.

Proverbs 31:27 says, "She watches over the ways (paths/tracks) of her household." This diligent mom is, in reality, a shepherdess of her home. She notices the patterns of her home life ~ the general comings and goings; the habits and activities of the people at home. She keeps up~to~the~minute stats of her family members and the general flow of her home. She's aware of everything that goes on within its walls.

Those of us who are moms have, to some degree, experienced the pain of watching one of our little flock struggle, stumble and stray.

Let me share my own personal description of how this happened today. My youngest, who is almost 4, has been told repeatedly since the time she could crawl not to be underfoot when I'm at the stove. I'm nervous that I could trip over her and hurt her, or that she could be burned in some way. I adore my little "Popsicle" (as I call her) and love her near me, but she's always had issues with this. Constant "no-no's" and gentle pats on the bottom to move her along have worked to an extent, but she still returns to where the action is. Today, however, as I was transferring piping hot macaroni back to the saucepan from the colander, my little one (who was undetected right behind me) got a sprinkling of super-hot water on her little arm. She screamed in pain and a couple of red marks appeared on her skin. I felt terrible for her as I kissed her and wiped away tears. A cool cloth and attention from mommy made her feel better in time, but I couldn't help but remind her that if she had minded me in the first place, she wouldn't have gotten hurt.

Although this situation is on a much smaller scale, the fact that remains is this: Our mother's heart aches if those we love make choices that lead them down unhealthy paths. We hurt, but we also act! We do all we can to correct the situation ~ be it by setting new rules, narrowing boundaries, or making new disciplinary methods that carry more severe consequences. Why? Because we LOVE our little flock!

Now, dear sisters, we can grasp the Shepherd's divine love for us ~ His sheep! God notices the ways of our paths ~ He leads and guides us in the "paths of righteousness".

The Paths of Righteousness:

"Righteous" paths are stiff or straight paths. After all, God is pure and holy. He wants His sheep to be righteous. In the Bible, the word righteousness is used in the following ways:

With men, righteousness indicated a full measure. Measurements and weights were to be just and right.
With God, righteousness indicated a full measure in the spiritual sense. Offering God only what was sincere as opposed to half-hearted.
With a court, righteousness indicated a full measure of righteous judgment. Judges and officers were to render justice and make things right.

Okay, are you as intimidated as I am right now? Do you think, "There's no way I can ever measure up to that standard!" Be encouraged, my dear sisters ~ we serve a God who promises to guide us into righteousness! The One Who states, "Be ye holy as I Am holy" will guide us!

The God of Righteousness:

Jehovah~Tsidkenu ~ which means "Jehovah our righteousness". It first appears in Jeremiah 23:5-6.

After the death of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was divided into two kingdoms; the Northern Kingdom, which was called Israel, and the Southern Kingdom, which was Judah. Although both kingdoms "did evil in the sight of the Lord", Judah was occasionally ruled by kings that "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did".

However, by this writing of Jeremiah, the Kingdom of Judah was falling apart. God's chosen people were sinning grievously, even polluting the house of the Lord. God sent His prophets to warn His people, but their messages were completely ignored. Jeremiah, also known as "The Weeping Prophet" had to tell the people that they would, indeed, be taken away and made captives.

Although it was terrible news, God ~ Who is too good to be unkind ~ kept His promise to King David (2 Samuel 7:16) that Israel would be restored to their land, and that Jehovah would raise up to David a Righteous Branch ~ Jehovah~Tsidkenu ~ the Messiah, Jesus Christ!

That thrills my heart, sisters! Because of Jesus' work on the cross, we CAN become righteousness! Because of the covering of His precious blood, when God sees me, He sees righteousness! Like an old song states, "His blood was not just blood of another spotless lamb. But His blood was precious blood, for it washed the sins of man. And His blood, it heals my body, and it sets my spirit free. I'm so glad His precious blood still flows from Calvary."

The Purpose of God's Guidance:

This is the most compelling aspect for me ~ it's "for His name's sake". God wants us to be righteous to bring Him glory ~ to maintain His reputation. As Mrs. George states, "God's name points not only to a title for Him, but to his very nature."

So, how does God guide us into the paths of righteousness?