Let The Lord Plan Your Next Steps
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.’ (Proverbs 16:9)
One thing about the Christmas season that comes up randomly from my childhood memories is the stop-action, ‘claymation’ story of Kris Kringle (aka Santa Claus) when he starts singing, ‘Put one foot in front of the other, then you’ll be walking out the door.’ I haven’t seen this in years (meaning it will pop up as a choice in the next week or so on YouTube or Roku) so I can’t remember the context, but in order to move forward, we have to take that first step, whether we are simply walking out the door or acting upon a thought to accomplish a goal that seems important enough to act upon.
Either one, though, requires a plan – where are you going to walk to, and why? Even if the plan is to get up and walk to the refrigerator, why are you going there? (Water and snacks are the two likely answers.) While you may not ask God to assist you in such a menial task like this, do you ask God to prepare your steps when an action is more in depth, one that will impact your life, or others? You should…
Our verse today is actually another ‘if/then’ statement, but the author of Proverbs 16 leaves out something in verse 9 that he assumes should be known to the Believer. That assumption is that humans will make plans with God in mind; proper planning, to preclude poor performance, must include God as the one who will direct all things regarding the plan. This includes the decision to ‘no/go’ (no = don’t proceed further, go = continue preparations), what to plan for, what preparations are required, and when to execute the plan, and what to do when the planning a person makes falls short of expectations.
Verse 9 can actually be read as, ‘If people plan their course and include the Lord to direct them in their planning, then the Lord will establish their steps to execute their plan, and they in their Faith the Lord will provide for them a path when encountering something unforeseen’. Plans are good, but without God they may or may not work, or have items not addressed or overlooked. Pray for the Lord’s vision when making plans, to make you aware of the pros and consequences resulting from preparing and executing plans (for example, storing food and water requires space; consuming food and water generates trash, and may need manual tools or portable utensils to use (like opening cans and cooking food if the power is out).
The most important thing is to allow Jesus to handle the concerns, so you don’t have to. You will need to be aware to get prepared, and plan accordingly (that sounds…familiar). However, in including the Lord and providing your concerns to Him, He will give you the guidance you need and will be with you as things progress. It’s not just for natural disasters, but for life events such as careers, children, friends, hobbies, and retirement (something He is helping me to come to terms with in the near future, as long as I follow His plan).
