He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
PSALM 23:3
A good path can make all the difference in an outdoor adventure. What makes a good path? Well, it’s safe and properly maintained. But more importantly, it takes us someplace we want to go. Maybe it follows a geologic feature, like the Continental Divide Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, or the Appalachian Trail. Perhaps it leads to a terrific view of the surrounding countryside, as at Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains or Glacier Point in Yosemite. It could bring you to a stunning waterfall or meander alongside a river. Those are places worth visiting. The safest and best-kept trail in the world isn’t worth a single step if it leads someplace you don’t want to go.
Life can be confusing, and sometimes it’s not easy to choose a direction. Our world is overflowing with information, but wisdom can be hard to find. In Psalm 25:4–5, David wrote, “Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” God answered David’s prayer, for in Psalm 16, he wrote, “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” (v. 11). When David’s son Solomon became king, God offered to give him whatever he wanted. When Solomon asked for wisdom, God was very pleased. (See 2 Chronicles 1:7–12.)
Throughout Scripture, God promises to give wisdom to those who ask. For instance, Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
The best strategy for finding a good path in life is to ask for God’s guidance and read the Bible. As it says in Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”