Choosing the Road of Abundant Life

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

There are times when I feel like I’m tripping over my own two feet.

I have good intentions and a desire to follow Jesus, but I get in my own way. Sometimes I charge ahead, hoping that Jesus can keep up. But it doesn’t take long for the Holy Spirit to stop me in my tracks. 

And then I hear His voice speak gently in my spirit: 

“Slow down.” 

“Rest in My shadow.” 

“Follow Me.”

I’m sure we can all relate to times in our lives when we’ve plowed ahead in our own strength instead of seeking the Lord’s guidance. When we do this, not only do we end up exhausted, but we end up traveling on roads that God never intended us to be on in the first place.

Thankfully, He is a God of patience and grace, and we can trust that He is still the God of impossible situations and overextended schedules.

He will meet us where we are, but He refuses to leave us there. 

Jesus is the road to abundant life! And if we insist on traveling other roads, we are missing out on His supernatural peace and strength which surpasses anything we could ever hope or imagine. 

In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that He has “come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (NKJV)

I love this verse because it lets us know that Jesus didn’t come so that we can barely get by. He came so that we can have abundant life! We simply need to choose the road He has for us instead of trying so hard to pave our own paths.

The problem is that we can easily get sidetracked by the lure of the world and the desire to do things our own way, but Jesus is the only source of true joy and abundant living. 

May we loosen our white-knuckled grip of control and, instead, seek to walk where He leads. It’s the difference between traveling a road full of spiritual detours versus traveling the road He has for us, full of joy and purpose. 

A PRAYER FOR ABUNDANCE

Lord,

Thank you for offering us the abundant life of Your presence! 

Help us to stop settling for ‘barely getting by’. 

May we seek Your direction and the abundance You offer.

Show us the road You want us to travel and fill us with joy and purpose as we seek Your presence. 

Amen.