The Canadian American writer, Linwood Barclay, wrote one of my favorite quotes; it says this: “My biggest complaint about drivers out in the country has tended to be that they’re not in a great hurry to get where they’re going. This is particularly true of old men wearing hats. If you get behind an old guy wearing a hat on a winding road, you might as well just phone ahead on your cell and tell your friends you’re going to be late.”

I think Mr. Barclay must have been driving behind me.

I wear my variety of hats proudly, and I am a very cautious driver on any winding road. Some people might even say that I’m a ‘sloooowwwww’ driver on those winding roads.

You see, I grew up on the Great Plains of this vast and beautiful country of ours. In particular, on the flat lands of the Red River Valley, where every road is laid out straight. Very straight.

When you fly over that part of the country you look down on what looks like a patchwork quilt. It’s beautiful from the air. And on the ground as well.

I don’t recall too many winding roads in eastern North Dakota where this boy was raised. And the roads certainly didn’t go up and down and around and around.

Like I said, they were straight. Very straight.

I learned to drive on straight streets, straight roads and straight country lanes. And I just happen to tense-up when driving on winding mountain roads and the winding country roads here in Middle Tennessee.

Paul McCartney wrote the lyrics to his song, “The Long and Winding Road,” while visiting Scotland, a place he loved. The phrase came to him as he was gazing out at a beautiful country road that lay out before him, winding around he lochs and up into the hills in the remote Scottish Highlands.

McCartney loved that area so much that he bought property there.

Christian author, preacher and teacher, John Piper, often compares life to a winding road. In his book, “A Sweet and Bitter Providence,” Piper wrote, “Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to Heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. . . God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of Jesus Christ.”

I know first-hand that there are a lot of winding roads in this life, and I believe that we have to take it easy and be careful as we take this journey.

As Christians, we have our goal set before us (Heaven); that’s our ‘earthly-journey’s end.’ To get there we have to endure those ‘winding and troubled roads’ that Brother Piper talks about.

There are 15 psalms in the Book of Psalms that are called ‘Songs of Ascent,’ or ‘Songs of the Pilgrims.’ They are Psalms 120 through 134.

These psalms are called songs of ascent because Jerusalem and the Temple there sat on a high point, and the Jews would ascend or climb up to get to the city and the Temple.

The ancient Jewish people would sing those psalms as they traveled on the rough and rugged winding roads from their homes all around Israel up to Jerusalem at least three times a year.

One of those Songs of Ascent, Psalm 121, has been one of my favorite scriptures over the years.

Psalm 121 says: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keeps thee will not slumber. Behold, He that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

This Psalm mentions four tasks that the Lord undertakes on behalf of the Children of God as we’re traveling along this winding road of life.

The first is: The Lord Helps us, (vv. 1-2): “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD...” The travels to the Holy City could be treacherous, rugged and rocky roads with robbers and wild animals along the way. In fact Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan tells the story about a man that was robbed along the road leading to Jerusalem.

The psalmist said God will help us in the midst of all the turmoil going on around us as we travel on this “winding-road-of-life.’

The second task is: The Lord Keeps us, (vv. 3-5): “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keeps thee will not slumber. Behold, He that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper…”

On these long and winding, sometimes treacherous roads that life takes us on, God will keep us. He keeps an eye on us, and He’s always watching out for us. We have to put our trust in Him, knowing God is always available to help us and to keep us.

Third, The Lord Shades us, (vv. 5-6): “… the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night. Not only will God help us and keep us, but He becomes a protector or guardian for us. He’s our shield, our wall of protection, our Shade.

And fourthly, The Lord Preserves us, (vv. 7-8): “The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

I have always loved the promises of this psalm. God will take care of us as we journey through life. Of course we know there will be troubles, but as Christians we don’t have to travel this

journey alone. We may be fearful; we may worry (some of us more than others). But God is always there to help us, to keep us, and to protect us.

Pastor Marvin Williams, one of the writers for the devotional “Our Daily Bread,” wrote: “Life is a winding road with unknown perils and troubles, but we can be certain of God’s providence, security and care.”

I know that God is right here with me, with us, on this Pilgrimage of Life.

The writer of Hebrews talked about what I call “The Heroes of Faith” in chapter 11; Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah.

He said, “13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were Strangers and Pilgrims on the Earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a Homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a Better, that is, a Heavenly Country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a City for them.”

This world is not my Home, I’m only a stranger passing through!

I’m just a Pilgrim from the Flatlands, traveling this long and winding road on my Ascent to that New Jerusalem.

As Jim Reeves sang, “The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door, And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”