“Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”
Proverbs 4:25-27
Some of the moments I most enjoy as a grandparent are when I have the chance to take my grandchildren to the local playground. Here, their adventurous side emerges as they attempt to accomplish new feats such as climbing higher, swinging with more experience, or sliding faster than the day before.
More than once during this time, I will hear, “Grandma, can you help me?” Especially when it comes to the balance beam. Although it is low to the ground, the challenges of walking with one foot in front of the other on that narrow implement can make the bravest little hearts nervous about falling. Taking their hand in mine, I steady them until they are confident to do it on their own.
For these little ones, and us big ones, focusing is an integral part of our walk. And it will determine if we end up with the desired results we had hoped for when we first started out.
Proverbs 4:25-27 (above) offers us wise words to help keep our course correct and walking faithfully before the Father on the “narrow” path we are called to (Matthew 7:14).
Advancing along this path of life, first we are instructed to “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee” (v. 25). Where the eyes lead, the heart will soon follow. What has your attention has your life. Whatever you fixate upon holds your reins and steers your steps in its direction. Just ask Eve, Achan, and David (just to name a few) whose eyes steered them away from God’s perfect purpose for their lives and into sin. So, Proverbs tells us to keep our focus straight.
A wayward focus leads to a wayward heart. A stern warning given by Solomon a few verses prior, accentuating the importance of keeping the instruction of what is right “in the midst of thine heart” (Proverbs 4:21).
Secondly, we are told, “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established” (v. 26). Whatever flows through the eyes and lands in the heart, it begins to direct the heart’s choices or one’s thinking. So, not only are we to be direct in our focus, but we are to be equally intentional with our thought life.
Walking with our physical bodies is something many do instinctively, naturally, not giving the whole of one’s thoughts to the hows of it all. They just get up and do it. But when it comes to our spiritual life, we cannot just follow every urge or natural human instinct. We, who seek to walk supernaturally, must have our steps guided by godly, spiritual thinking.
We want “established” steps that are firm and sure. As such, we cannot adopt every idea into our thoughts. But we must carefully strain out the negative, the natural, the ungodly – and “ponder” the right ways (comp. Philippians 4:8).
Lastly, Proverbs 4:27 promotes rigidity. A refusal, at one’s core, to be moved: “Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” There is no room for compromise. On the balance beam and in life, it is your core strength that will keep you steady. A slight shift here or there can alter your center of gravity, leading to a fall.
Jesus, in one verse, gave us an easy way to remember these three points together, making sure we are moving in the right direction, the right way, by teaching us, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). This one verse keeps our eyes, our thinking, and our heart focused on our core strength who is our Heavenly Father. When we have Him as our primary center, our feet will stay on the steady path.
Often we are given to praying as the psalmist did when he said, “Order my steps in thy word…” (Psalm 119:133), and that’s good. But that does not negate our personal responsibility. Before each action taken in Proverbs 4:25-27, there was a command of responsibility for the individual: “Let,” “Ponder,” and “Turn not.” These are personal, conscious efforts that each person is to take to ensure they are walking and moving in the right direction.
Personal accountability for our spiritual walk can not be delegated to another. We must choose with heart, mind, and soul to walk faithfully and live in a way that is pleasing to God.
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