“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.”
— Psalm 37:23
Most of us are in the rat race — an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit of something that leads to nothing but frustration. The term conjures up the image of lab rats racing through a maze to get cheese, much like society racing to get ahead financially, emotionally or spiritually. The rat race is an exhausting, repetitive lifestyle that leaves no time for relaxation or enjoyment.
Contrary to popular belief, being in the rat race is optional, but too many of us simply decide to stay. We spend our lives trapped in an endless cycle of waking up, spending hours in traffic every day traveling to a job we don’t like (or even hate). We work eight or more hours around people whom we may not particularly care for. We do pointless and often mind-numbingly repetitive work for a paycheck that only keeps us in the “trying to make ends meet” category.
After a painstakingly routine day, we go to bed unfulfilled, struggle to get a few hours of sleep, then wake up and start the same grueling cycle all over again. But the good news is, this doesn’t have to be our life! We can escape the rat race. We simply need to stop running from our dreams and start living our dreams!
Psalm 37:23 is a reminder that God is on our side. If we go back and read the opening verses of the Psalm, we see that David is actually in a rat race of sorts. He’s running from his enemies, dealing with the evils and conundrums of life, and trying to figure his way out. But by verse 23, David reminds himself of something that we can glean from: “The steps of a good man (or woman) are ordered by the Lord…” If we want to escape the rat race, here are three practical insights we can gain from David’s reflection:
1. Seek God first. Matthew 6:33 admonishes us to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” Seeking God first for our path, decisions, pursuit of our dreams, purpose in life and how to escape the rat race will always lead to victory.
2. Listen to what God says. In Jeremiah 33:3, God states: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Figuring out how to escape the rat race can be a daunting task. But the Prophet reminds us that our God stands ready to guide us and show us “great and mighty things.”
3. Do exactly what God instructs you to do. Sometimes we seek the Lord and hear His voice, but we fail to follow God’s instructions. We attempt to alter the instruction to fit our needs. This is always the wrong approach. Proverbs 16:20 notes: “He (she) who heeds the words wisely will find good. And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he (she).” Happiness is found in doing exactly what God instructs us to do.
We can escape the rat race. We can live our dreams. We can live the life God intended for us to live. Let the Lord order your steps. The alternative is to remain on the hamster wheel of life. Get off the wheel and take the exit toward your best life today.
Dr. Preston T. Adams III is senior pastor at Amazing Grace Christian Church in Indianapolis. Contact Pastor Adams via email at seniorpastor@agccindy.org or via Twitter @DrPrestonTAdams. For more information, visit agccindy.org
