"Let Me Get This Straight"

“Let Me Get This Straight”

(Thanks to Karen for another title when I drew a blank)

In math terms a straight line is the shortest distance between two points. When I first heard this in junior high (now known as middle school) I thought of a road on Long Island called Straight Path. It went through a then rural area of Suffolk County for about eight miles with nary a curve and few crossroads. I haven’t used it in 50+ years so doubt if travel on it is as easy now as in yesteryear. (To bring the Straight Path principle more up to date, Highway 471 near Lakeland goes some 25 miles with few if any bends. So keep a close eye on that speedometer!)

The Greek word translated straight means good course. It’s used twice with reference to Paul’s journeys when he “…sailed straight….” (Acts 16:11; 21:1)—in other words, there was no deviation from focusing on the destination. Interestingly, a form of the word appears often in the gospels (especially in Mark—41 times according to Bible Teacher Warren Wiersbe) and is usually rendered “at once” or “immediately”, suggesting no delay in response or result. It’s also employed to express a standard God has set—in 2 Peter 2:15 we’re told that false teachers “…have left the straight way and wandered off….” So God’s ways are not only right but “Just and true….” (Revelation 15:3).

In Psalm 5:8 David asked God to “…make straight your way before me.” A generation later his son Solomon wrote, “…In all your ways acknowledge (the Lord), and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:6). A paraphrase might be, “He will put you on the right path as you seek His guidance.” But if I think my way is best I need to remember that “…the way of the unfaithful is hard.” (Proverbs 13:15).

When we’re confused over what someone tells us we might say, “Let me get this straight”. Put another way, we want to be clear about what we’re hearing. We can say the same about following God’s ways. As we do, we’ll find ourselves on the “straight and narrow” path because “…his way is perfect….” (Psalm 18:30). And there’s no place I’d rather be!

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan