The Lord's Direction

Proverbs 16:9 – "A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps."

Have you ever looked back on your life and think about the choices that you have made in your life? Were they good choices? Were they bad choices? Think about it....we should be praying for God's will in the choices that we make, because God is ultimately in control. Life can be a mystery of what God wants for us, at the same time, it is amazing when He does reveal to you what He wants you to do.

I often look at what the Lord is having me do right now, and I also look in my past of how God has taken my past experiences to use for Him today. For example...I used to be a music major...He is having me lead praise and worship at church and at the Wyoming Boys' School. I taught for 12 years in the public school.....now God is allowing me to teach the boys at the Wyoming Boys' School and also allowing us to minister to them by the Holy Spirit.

The point is...I'm not boasting on what God is doing with me, but what I'm trying to say is, just like the verse above, we may plan on what we want to do.....we make decisions, but GOD directs our steps. It is amazing how God can use our past experiences for His glory! We just need to pray and watch what the Lord does.

I also think of the story of Joseph, after he had been thrown into a pit by his brothers, after being sold into slavery, God finally put him into a position of great power in Egypt. Joseph had gone through all kinds of tough experiences, some that he had no choice in at all....but again, ultimately God is and was in control. The Lord directed His steps, and ultimately his people were blessed. Furthermore, look at the attitude that Joseph took, when his brothers that sold him into slavery were afraid for their lives when they found out that Joseph was still alive and an authority in the Pharaoh's courts...Quoting Joseph, Genesis 5:20 says, "But as for you, you meant evil against me; [but] God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as [it is] this day, to save many people alive." You see, God can make any situation into one that is good and glorifies Himself.

So what do we need to do? We need to continue to pray for God's will in our choices and decision making, and know that the Lord directs our steps. Here is an example of what I'm praying for right now:

My oldest son, Caleb, has just finished up registering for his fall college classes. He has made some decisions on what direction that he would like to take, planning his way. I pray that with all of the experiences that God has given him, including the ones that he has planned for college, that the Lord will direct his steps. I pray that God's will be done in his life for the Lord's glory. I am sure that God has plans for Caleb.

Let's continue to pray that the Lord would direct our steps, seeking Him each day, relying on His sovereignty. Let's continue to pray that the Lord will direct the steps of our children in the way that will be pleasing to Him. One thing that we don't have to worry about is the fact that God's will, will be done regardless. I don't know about you, but I want God in control of my life and the steps that I take.