Lamentations 3:40
Let us examine and probe our ways,
And let us return to the Lord.
I love playing football. I’m pretty small though, so flag football is usually enough for me. Nonetheless, I can’t think of any greater rush than “going long” for a reception. Unfortunately, I’ve never been that great at catching the long, over-the-head, throws. I find that I get all disoriented if I have to look up and behind me while I continue running forward. I remember one instance in particular when I was playing on an intramural team in college. I became so disoriented as to where I was, that I actually ran out of bounds and into the bleachers. I ended up nowhere near the ball… I was way off course.
Does your Christian walk with the Lord ever feel like that? Sometimes we get running so fast in one direction that we don’t realize just how far off course we’ve wavered. Lamentations 3:40 teaches us an important truth concerning this common mistake: If our final goal is to “return to the Lord,” we’re going to need to stop long enough to “examine and probe our ways.” When was the last time you slowed down to evaluate your “position” on the field? I wasn’t trying to run off course and miss the ball that day, it was an honest mistake… but it cost me the catch and a good chuck of skin. Even if you believe you’re “on target” with God, I urge you to occasionally spend a day alone with the Lord, asking Him to “examine and probe” your life with you.