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A Closer Walk

Where Are You Going?

By Vasthi Reyes Acosta

“Where are you going?” the New Jersey state officer asked as he began to write the speeding ticket. I had no clue. Every road sign was foreign. I had started my trip thinking I knew where I was going and how to get there. But I found myself lost and speeding down an unfamiliar highway. Where was I going?

Do you ever ask yourself that question? Where am I going in my job? In my studies? In my relationships? Proverbs 3:5,6 offers an answer.

Step One: Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

For years, I wondered about those people who made such a fuss about Jesus. They were excited, praising God and saying things like, “God told me this” or “God showed me that.” What were they talking about? People didn’t actually hear from God, did they? And why were they so excited? If that was real, I wanted it. So I plunged in and found what I was missing in my Christian walk.

These people trusted God with all their heart. They didn’t read the Bible only on Sundays to follow along with the sermon. They read it every day. Praise didn’t originate on their lips, but in their hearts. They didn’t start planning the week’s activities the minute the minister began the sermon. They actually listened to the sermon, and some even took notes!

Watching them, I determined to trust in the Lord with all my heart, and day by day, moment by moment, an intimate relationship with the Lord blossomed. With a broken and contrite heart, I confessed my need and hunger to grow close to Him. I was tired of eating the crumbs; I wanted to feast.

How do you trust in the Lord with all your heart? First, humble yourself before the Lord, pray and study God’s Word daily. Praise Him with your heart and leave behind whatever He asks. Yield your will to the Father.

Step Two: Lean not on your own understanding.

When we lean on our own understanding, we believe the lies the world spins. At one time I leaned on my own understanding, which was based on my own views and logic, a little bit of my favorite talk show host (or her latest guest) and my own feelings.

I was traveling 90 miles a day to get to work, babysitter, school and home. I felt guilty at work because of what needed to be done at home and I felt guilty at home for what needed to be done at work.

I thought I knew where I was going when I started out. Instead, I found I was lost. God’s Word changed my way of thinking to God’s way of thinking. It helped me see through God’s eyes, not the world’s eyes. We must feed ourselves from God’s wisdom, which is found in the Bible, daily. Within those pages we will find how to deal with love, family, friends, children, jobs and wisdom for our life here on earth. The Bible is our treasure, our wellspring, our anchor, our compass, our map.

Step Three: In all your ways acknowledge Him.

Simply put, this means to obey the Lord. When we obey the Lord we acknowledge His control in our lives, His glory and His wisdom.

In what areas is God calling you to obey? What does God want to change, or have you turn over to Him? Why do you delay? The more we disobey to hold on to our freedom, the more enslaved we become. But it is only through obedience that we are set free.

Step Four: He will make your paths straight.

I learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart—a full surrender, a true pursuit of God’s best. I learned that God’s Word is the light that guides me and the wisdom I seek, so I don’t lean on my own understanding. In my obedience I acknowledge Him in all my ways. And the reward is that God directs my path.

While we don’t have any guarantees the road before us is completely safe, we can know for sure that the paths God has for us are beyond our wildest dreams. We cannot even fathom what He has in store for those who trust and obey Him.

That day in New Jersey, the policeman finished writing the summons, handed back my license and registration, and said, “If you don’t know your way, ask for directions.” And so I did.

How about you?

Where are you going? Trust God, seek His Word, follow it, and your path will be made clear.

DR. VASTHI REYES ACOSTA and her husband Rolando Tomas co-teach the family track Sunday school class at Englewood AG in New Jersey. The daughter of a pastor in the Spanish Eastern District, she resides in New York City with her husband, daughter Zila, and son Lucas. Her first novella, Gifts of the Magi, will be released in September 2007 in the anthology A Big Apple Christmas.