His Way Is Perfect

God — his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him. – Psalm 18.30, CSB

Three things stand out in this Psalm 18.30. We will look at each one over the next three blog posts.

God’s way…

The word “way” in this verse has several different meanings. While it refers to a road, path, or thoroughfare that one travels to get from one place to another, it also conveys the idea of a journey — “i.e., the act of moving from one place to another, with a destination, and usually planned route” (emphasis added).* The road that God has us on is not left to chance. And while we have a responsibility to make decisions that do impact our lives, God remains sovereign over all and has planned out our route. While these two truths may leave us feeling frustrated, they shouldn’t. We may not understand how these two truths—our responsibility and God’s sovereignty—can coexist, but we can find comfort in knowing that God does. Charles Spurgeon once said, “When we go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head.” He also said, “There is no attribute of God more comforting to his children than the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe troubles, they believe that Sovereignty hath ordained their afflictions, that Sovereignty overrules them, and that Sovereignty will sanctify them.” In other words, God’s sovereignty gives us hope because we know that God remains all-powerful in the midst of our trials. He is sovereignly present and graciously helpful in all that we face along the way.

God’s way is perfect.

And then we come to the word perfect. There is no flaw or blemish in God’s way. The journey he sets up and walks with us on is perfect. And while those mountaintop experiences with breathtaking views, which we encounter while walking with Him, leave us standing in agreement with this verse, are we still convinced that God’s way is perfect when he leads us through the valleys of trial and testing? 

I came across this letter that Elizabeth Elliot wrote to a young couple who lost their baby while in the womb. Her letter to them was far more than a compassionate condolence one would write on a card. Instead, she crafted and word-smithed an epistle of care with the purpose of ushering in God’s comfort in the midst of their loss. Toward the end of that letter, she said, “Jesus learned obedience by the things which He suffered, not by the things which He enjoyed. In order to fit you both for His purposes both here and in eternity, He has lent you this sorrow. But he bears the heavier end of the Cross laid upon you!”** She reminded them of what the writer of Hebrews said, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4.15, CSB). Dane Ortlund explains how Christ sympathizes with us in our weaknesses.

“The burden of this anchor verse is Jesus Christ’s sheer solidarity with his people. All our natural intuitions tell us that Jesus is with us, on our side, present and helping, when life is going well. This text says the opposite. It is in ‘our weaknesses’ that Jesus sympathizes with us. The word for “sympathize” here is a compound word formed with the prefix meaning ‘with’ (like our English prefix co-) joined with the verb to suffer. ‘Sympathize’ here is not cool and detached pity. It is a depth of felt solidarity such as is echoed in our own lives most closely only as parents to children. Indeed, it is deeper even than that. In our pain, Jesus is pained; in our suffering, he feels the suffering as his own even though it isn’t—not that his invincible divinity is threatened, but in the sense that his heart is feelingly drawn into our distress. His human nature engages our troubles comprehensively. His is a love that cannot be held back when he sees his people in pain.” ***

The road Jesus walked was not one of ease. Instead, he learned obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5.8). He entered into life and experienced what we experience. The highs. The lows. And because of this, he sympathizes with us (i.e., suffers with us) as we continue walking with him.

While we may not understand all that God allows or brings to us on the way, we can know that God is working in us a greater work of glory that far outweighs the trials that leave us feeling beaten down and defeated. His way is perfect. And because his way is perfect, his outcomes are perfect, and we are “sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” Philippians 1.6, CSB).

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* Swanson, James A. Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains. Faithlife, 1997.
** Elliot, Elisabeth. Keep a Quiet Heart : 100 Devotional Readings. S.L., Flemming H Revell, 2022.
*** Ortlund, Dane C. Gentle and Lowly. Crossway, 18 Mar. 2020.