"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps."
Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)
At the beginning of my senior year of high school, I thought I had all of my future plans set. While I grew up going to church with my family, during my junior year my faith became real and personal to me. That summer I felt like God was directing me to go to a Christian college and prepare to become a pastor. So I applied to a college our denomination had, got accepted, and was all set. Then, in the middle of the school year, I got a letter informing me that the college was closing and merging with another school on the other side of the country. All of the sudden all of my plans went up in smoke.
Because of that decision, I began to look around at other schools (which I had not done earlier because I had a plan) and ended up going to North Central University in Minneapolis. That change ended up being a great opportunity for me – apart from experiencing a type of cold I didn’t know existed. I had the opportunity to learn from some of the top professors in their field and made relationships that have opened doors of opportunity for me throughout my life. And all of that happened at a school I had never really heard of or known about before a closed-door caused me to take a look around.
Proverbs 16:9 reminds us that while we make plans, it is ultimately the Lord that will determine or direct our steps. Maybe you’ve had an experience like mine. You had a plan that made all the sense in the world – until it didn’t work out. Maybe you have had a job you hated or lived somewhere that you didn’t want to be and in the moment you wondered why. But later, you were able to look back and see how that job was a step that got you to where you are now. We tend to focus on our big plans, while God is moving us where He wants us to be by determining our steps. When you read Proverbs 16, you find several verses about our plans and God’s purposes. If you are in the middle of making a decision right now and you’re not sure what direction to go, ask the Lord to help you understand the next step to take.
Is there an area of your life where you are looking for direction? Ask God to show you the next small step to take.