I Run

“I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free.”
Psalm 119:32

In one sense, I always envied the pet owners whose dogs were so well trained that they would stay in their yard or by their side without a leash or any other restraint. Some would respond so obediently to the sound of their owner’s voice that even another dog passing by would not entice them enough to get them to exercise their freedom. Others would bark incessantly but their training paid off time and again as they remained where they were told no matter what the temptation, be it a wandering cat passing by or a playful squirrel just out of reach.

But not Diefenbaker, not once, not ever, in fact, he never gave it a second thought. Our beloved Siberian Husky took his freedom very seriously. That’s why I laughed when I read the above scripture last week. David said that because God had set his heart free, he was running after God in his life. When Dief’s chain wasn’t secured right, he ran. When the screen door was left open for even a second, he ran. Lost your grip on his collar? You guessed it; he ran! We did take him to obedience school but you get the idea of how well that worked out. With a world of adventures awaiting him, Dief had a very simple philosophy on life – I run!

Unfortunately, people can end up in one of those two situations themselves. We can become so conditioned by life’s events, and have the routines of our lives so ingrained in us, that even when God sets us free, when God releases grace for something new and fresh in our lives, we stay in that same spiritual place, unmoved and unchanged. I’ve been trying to imagine what David’s “I run in the path of your commands” looked like on a daily basis. Was it going after something seen in scripture that he had never experienced? Was it seeking the Lord for more of His presence, more of his wisdom, or some previously unseen answer to prayer? Did David go beyond the borders of his faith in his running after God, stepping out of the boat he found himself in, or stepping out of the battle line, set free to run after the Goliaths in his life.

While the trained dogs were experiencing their backyards, Diefenbaker had woods and fields to explore, new neighborhoods to discover, and friends to make in the canine world. And if you think he slowed down, nope! Twelve years old, eighty four in people years, and he maintained the same philosophy – I run! And I’m hoping each of us will adopt that same outlook. Every opportunity that God gives, every new freedom that we experience in him, with every breakthrough that comes and every stirring of His Spirit, a purposeful and determined “I run!”

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church