A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps
Proverbs 3:9 (NKJV)
Have you ever woken up with a vision of how you would like your day to go? In your mind’s eye you can see all the things that you would do (or wouldn’t do), what you would accomplish?
With this plan in place, you then pray and ask God to direct your steps and commit your day to God. But the whole time you are determined to have the day play out as you had planned.
But then…it doesn’t.
Moment after moment, hour after hour you see your plans wrecked.
Maybe, instead of working out first thing, you have to go help a colleague.
Instead of spending the day working on that draft, you have to clean the house and prepare for guests.
As the day progresses, you start feeling overwhelmed, anxious and frustrated. All the while forgetting the prayer you made in the morning. The prayer in which you committed the day to God and asked Him to direct your steps.
You Are Not the Director
O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man walks to direct his own steps.
Jeremiah 10:23 (NKJV)
As much as we would like to be, we are not the directors of our lives. That is not to say that what happens to us is a whim of the universe or the work of fate. But it does mean that there some things we cannot control.
We cannot control whether the person in the car in front of us is driving fast or slowly. Nor can we can control whether it rains or not. We most definitely cannot control what other people do. And we also cannot control how our days play out.
Certainly, you can plan and prepare. You can do your part in what needs to be done. But there are just some situations in which you do not determine the outcome.
So since you are not the director and there are some things out of your reach to manage, how do you move forward?
Do you simply let what will be? Do you fight for control? You could.
Or you could surrender, get out of the director’s seat and let God direct you.
Let God Direct You
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way
Psalm 37:23 (NKJV)
As Christians, we have the privilege of being led by God Himself.
That is why one might wake up and commit their day to God and ask Him to direct their steps. It’s because they understand that they cannot successfully direct their day but God can. God is our Shepherd and leader and we can trust Him to direct us. (John 10:11-16)
So instead of trying to take that responsibility upon yourself, let God direct you. When you wake up and commit the day to Him, leave it in His hands. Hold onto your plans loosely, leaving room for God to redirect your steps and take the day in the direction that He desires.
But you may be wondering “What if it isn’t God redirecting my steps?” What if there is hindrance or a delay caused by the enemy?
Even in such a scenario you don’t need to fear. God is greater than our enemy and you can trust Him to turn the situation around.
Trust God to Turn it Around
When things don’t go according to your plan; whether it’s because of life’s ever changing circumstances or a direct attack from the enemy, you can trust God to turn it around.
The key word here is trust.
Trusting does not mean losing your calm, raging, getting anxious and frustrated or swearing. Trusting means resting, praying and allowing peace to rule in your heart. (Colossians 3:15) It means leaving room for the Holy Spirit to work and for God to actually do the turning around. Both of which can be done when you hold onto peace and pray.
It also means taking unexpected changes in stride.
Make Peace With Unexpected Changes
Some people do not handle change easily, even less so when it takes place unexpectedly. But as Christians, we do not need to be afraid of change: expected or unexpected.
Instead, we should make peace with them and accept them as part of life. For as long as our focus is on God and we are walking in His will, we can always trust that God is in control.
When you fully surrender, trust and keep a hold of your peace you will be surprised by the way in which God will move in your situation and turn it around.
So if you’ve been struggling with control lately, if you have been anxious and frustrated over redirected days. Take a step back, breath and look to God.
He is your director, Shepherd and Father and you can always trust Him to direct your steps and lead you, one way or another, to green pastures and still waters.
All you have to do is:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean no on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
