WEDNESDAY May 13, 2026
Walk on Straight Paths
Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
Hebrews 12:12-13
After going through a season of chastening from the Lord, some people become very depressed. They are miserable and have lost their joy. Others feel God is always angry at them, and life will never be the same. God’s chastening is not to cripple you; on the contrary, it is used to redirect your life to walk forward on straight paths.
How do you go forward after a harsh time of chastening from God? There needs to be a time of strengthening. The Apostle Paul referenced Isaiah 35:3: Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Allow God to do a work in your life through chastening so that what is lame (whatever has caused you to become crippled through sin) [is] healed.
Do not resist God’s work in your life. Be healed and restored! Then you can enjoy your walk with Him. He desires to heal you so He can use your life. Therefore, remain on the narrow and straight path, not the wide road to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Get your life back on track. Do not go to the left or the right. Go straight––straight to the Cross of Jesus Christ.
Why there? At the Cross, you can repent of your disobedience and stubbornness. In prayer, at the foot of the Cross, you can ask God for the power of the Holy Spirit to help you walk in obedience and to have a willingness of heart to submit to God’s perfect will. As you return to the Lord, to the place of worship, reading God’s Word, fellowshipping, and sharing your faith with others, you will become fruitful in your Christian walk––not barren and unfruitful.
As a believer, I encourage you to endure chastening and not to become angry or bitter at God. He often uses chastening to get your attention. He loves you that much! Realize your God is gracious and merciful.
It is never said, “Whom the Lord loveth he enricheth,” but it is said, “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.”
~C.H. Spurgeon~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
