"All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies" (Psalm 25:10).

One of the great promises of the Bible is that God will lead those who follow His will and honor His word. "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:6).

All these paths are paths that experience His mercy and confirm His truth, as our text assures, if we obey His word--that is, if we keep His covenant of grace and believe the promise of His testimonies. They are paths leading to life everlasting. "Thou wilt shew me the path of life" (Psalm 16:11).

The paths into which God directs us may sometimes seem strange, or even dark and dangerous, but we have His assurance that they lead to light and peace. "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18). The ways of God's true wisdom "are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace" (Proverbs 3:17).

The 23rd Psalm is a beautiful testimony of the paths of God. "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake" (Psalm 23:3). The paths may be by still waters or through the valley of death's shadow, but God's goodness and mercy follow us in these paths, and finally they lead to the house of the Lord forever.

If we have trouble on occasion discerning the path into which God is directing our steps, we can find guidance in His word, for "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). We can always pray in assurance: "Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight" (Psalm 119:35). Finally, we can also pray daily: "Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies" (Psalm 27:11). HMM