“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Since the earliest days of sea travel, a ship’s position and direction were often determined using the sun. The crew knew that the sun rose in the east and set in the west, and often its shadows were used to determine the direction of north and south. A very primitive method for us today, as we can check just about anything using our phones, but centuries ago this was critically important in order for the ship to arrive safely at its destination. If the direction was off by even a smallest degree, the ship could even find itself far off course from where it had intended.

In our lives, there are moments in which the direction to take may be difficult to determine, and we too must find some way of navigating to our destination. Life may have many unforeseen challenges, and the answer is not always easy. King David, among others in the history of our Church, experienced these same challenges and worse, including danger to his life by soldiers who intended to kill him. Rather than use his own best guess to determine what course he should take, which might have proved disastrous, he relied on his relationship with God to lead him. His story is an amazing one, as he eventually was forgiven his many sins by God, impacted the history of the Hebrew people as a prefigurement of Christ, and even became king eventually.

Thankfully, we have faith that our Lord Jesus Christ provides us with this direction, no matter the circumstance. Like David, who relied on His guidance as he “walked through the valley of the shadow of death,” we rely on God’s guidance and “fear no evil.” (Psalm 23:4) Too often as human beings, we might think or feel like we know better, or are too afraid to let go and give the reins to someone else, but the Lord who loves us is always ready and willing to provide us with the right course, and arrive safely at our destination.

Let us all follow Him.  Amen!

With love Christ,

Father Niko Bekris
Proistamenos