“Lead me, Lord . . . along the everlasting way.” There are so many ways before me . . . so many voices calling me to follow . . . even perverse counsels beckoning me. It is all too easy to be lured, to find myself in a place I don’t want to be, not knowing how I got there. Have I even said and done things that led others down the wrong path?  

Today’s Scriptures call for some ardent soul-searching and honest self-examination. We may find ourselves confronted with some hard truths about ourselves. Difficult, yes, but God already knows these truths, as today’s Scriptures make clear. Are some U-turns needed on the paths where we find ourselves?  

God’s intimate and all-embracing knowledge of each of us is also a source of comfort and support. (Read Psalm 139 in its entirety!) God is always with us, wherever we may find ourselves. So we can confidently pray: “You rest your hand upon me.” Wherever, whatever, “your hand shall guide me, and your right hand hold me fast.”  

Even when we’re headed down the wrong path, God’s hand is still upon us. At times we may feel its tug forward, at times we may feel it pulling us back. At all times, we are free to follow or resist, to listen or turn a deaf ear. May our heartfelt prayer be not only “Lead me, Lord, along the everlasting way”—but also “Give me the grace—and the will—to follow.”