Morning Prayer: “Let your good spirit guide me in ways that are level and smooth.”
At first glance, this sounds like a prayer for smooth sailing — a life without obstacles, without strain, without the rough waters that make us brace ourselves and hold on. And part of us wants that. Of course we do. Who wouldn’t ask God for a path that is level, predictable, and kind to our bones. But “level and smooth” in Scripture rarely means easy . It means true . It means aligned . It means not crooked, not deceptive, not destructive . A smooth path is not one without storms. It’s one without false turns . If anything, the rough waters are where we learn how to sail — how to read the wind, how to trust the keel, how to steady our hands. The psalmist isn’t asking to be spared from all difficulty; he’s asking to be spared from futility . From wasted struggle. From wandering into terrain that breaks the spirit instead of strengthening it. “Guide me in ways that are level and smooth” is really: Lead me where the challenges shape me, not shatter me. Lead me where the ground un...