THE PATH OF LIFE

¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

“Help!” The shout sounded desperate and immediately the lifeguard on duty scanned the thronged beach. “Help!” There! The cry came again, distinct above the crash of the waves and from the normal hubbub of the happy beach. “Help!” It was hard to distinguish exactly where the sound came from, given the distracting noises and the “where’s-Waldo” scenario of a packed and multi-colored mob of moving sun and fun seekers. The lifeguard also knew the person shouting might well be underwater between alarms. Finally he glimpsed a waving arm in a trough between the foam of crashing surf. A drowning person is calling for a trusted lifeguard to come to the rescue.

Psalm 16 starts with a similar scenario. ¹ Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. (NKJV) David does not define his trouble, but the desperation of his cry resonates with the anxiety of any and every hue. Life is dangerous –

• physical life is precarious, witness weird bacteria and unpredictable traffic;
• and spiritual life is described as wrestling with powers greater than ourselves, where the devil is described as a roaring lion seeking to devour;
• practically, tedium, boredom, dissatisfaction, insignificance are all symptoms of a rut – a rut is a shallow grave.

HELP! HELP! HELP!

David’s example instructs us to cry to God any time we are overwhelmed in the foamy trough of the crashing breakers of life, whether physical, spiritual or in practice. Drowning swimmers are not likely to delay the cry for help, neither should overwhelmed people.

Preserve can have either positive or negative connotations. Those who swim among sharks usually do so in metal cages. This is safe, but terribly inhibiting. David develops the dynamic of preservation positively. In contrast to the confining safety of a steel cage, he explores preservation as the path of life where joy is constant and pleasures are eternal. Far from simply being caged for safety, a plan to snorkel, surf and sail in safe enjoyment is in mind. Full potential cannot be attained from a restricted existence in a cage; it requires the freedom to range. Full potential requires liberty to explore both deep and wide with complete confidence.

¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

May this tempt you, whet your appetite and lead you into a journey of discovery.

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