The stray cat mewed pitifully, stopping me in my tracks. I had just walked past a pile of food that someone had carelessly discarded on the ground. Wow, God's provided a meal for this hungry cat, I thought. The food was hidden behind a nearby pillar, so I tried to lure the emaciated cat to it. It moved toward me trustingly—then stopped and refused to follow me further. I wanted to ask, Why don’t you trust my directions? There’s a whole meal waiting for you!

Then it struck me: Don’t I act similarly in my relationship with God? How often have I responded to His directions thinking, I do trust You, God, but I don’t think Your instructions are reliable—not realizing that His divine provision might be waiting right round the corner.

God’s paths are trustworthy, for He loves us and has our best interests at heart. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you,” He tells us (Psalm 32:8). Yet, He doesn’t treat us like animals that need to be controlled (v. 9). He desires us to follow Him willingly and promises His everlasting presence as we do so: “The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him” (v. 10). All we need to do is just keep following Him, knowing that He’ll be with us every step of the way.