I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. Isaiah 45:2 NKJV
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV
The term straight and narrow is defined as an honest and morally acceptable way of living. Growing up, my parents tried to keep me on the straight and narrow path.
As children of God, if we take the narrow path, He will make it straight for us.
Now the first verse tells us that God makes our crooked paths straight. In Proverbs 3:5-6 we are told to trust in the LORD with all our heart and not to lean on our own understanding. We are told to acknowledge Him in all we do and He will make our crooked paths straight.
I don’t know about you but sometimes I have found myself on some crooked paths. I thank God for the times He went before me and made those paths straight. A week ago today, I awoke to find the devastation caused in our area by Hurricane Ida. Throughout this past week many of our ways in this area have been crooked. With downed trees, poles and power lines at every turn, it has been difficult to navigate your way through many areas.
While my path has been very crooked at times, praise God he has made my way straight. He has navigated me through safely at times when I could not find the way. We are told in Psalm 91:1 that He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. In Proverbs 3:5-6, we are told that we must trust in the Lord with all our heart. It’s a choice we make. God gives us free will. We can choose to trust in Him and follow Him or we can try to go it on our own.
Many people don’t want to give up the sin in their lives, so they find it hard to trust in Him. I am speaking from personal experience. But I can honestly tell you that nothing I have given up is worth even a tiny portion of what God has given me. God has given me peace and joy in my life where it was severely lacking. Unfortunately I didn’t even realize how much it was lacking until I trusted in Him.
Our second Scripture passage from Matthew tells us that we must choose the narrow gate. We all like the wide road. We like to be able to maneuver in and out of traffic as we please. We like to make our own lane choices and believe that we are good at it. I have realized that I am not. It’s best for me to stay in the narrow lane. It’s best for me to take the narrow gate and the narrow road. Our scripture passage tells us that the wide gate and wide road lead to destruction. I am living proof that this is true. I spent some time on the wide road and only felt frustration and shame.
If you want your path to be straight, you have to trust in Him. He will make your crooked paths straight. But you must choose the narrow gate and the narrow roadway. You must choose to take the narrow path and trust in Him to work out any kinks in that path.
If you want to be on the straight and narrow path, He would love to help you with that. You need only to ask. It’s a reciprocal relationship. Once you choose the narrow gate, He will help you keep your paths straight. This I also know from personal experience.
We are living in some very trying times. Sadly, I don’t see them getting better. If history is any indicator, they will only continue to get worse. We are told in 2 Timothy 3:2 that in these perilous times, men will degrade themselves and exhibit purely evil behavior. It lists many types of evil behavior. No good can come from this.
But, the good news is that Jesus is coming back for His people. He will lift us up out of here and bring us into his eternal home in heaven. We must be ready. Choose the narrow way, He will help you keep it straight if you will only ask. You may still find yourself on a crooked path, but you can be assured that He walks before you and straightens it out.
Have a great day!