In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
-- Proverbs 16:9
sometimes i just can't help but come back to this verse. i can't remember how many times that i or someone else have asked a question that begins with, "how do you know if God wants you to do this?" or "what if God doesn't want you to do that?" these are typically the questions that pop into our heads before or during the course of making a huge important, maybe even life-altering decisions.
lately i've been awake at night, trying to think what i'm going to do with the rest of my life. if i was a person of the world, then i probably only need to worry about where i'm gonna live, what am i gonna do, how much do i wanna make/strive for,..etc. but that's not exactly the case.
i like to think that i'm a person of God, and so other factors need to be included. like, what path should i take so that i'll still be happy with what i do but in the end, returning all the glory to God..? you know, those kinds of questions. i often find that while i pray for my future, i can't pray sometimes because i don't really know what i'm supposed to pray for! and that. is one of the most frustrating things i've ever experienced. if we pray from the deepest, most bottom-est places of our hearts, then God will surely answer.. but what if you don't even know what in the most deepest, bottom-est place of your heart?
and then i come to this verse. i can plan my future, but God will determine how i get there. ultimately, He is going to be the one who decides how i will live the life that i chose for myself. God did give us that freedom of choice..the whole notion of Free Will. i can technically choose to do anything i want, but then he'll take the reins at some point, and just guide my life down the path that he has planned for me.
scary, but comforting. because to some extent, my future is in my own hands too. but then God has control of my hands.
I'm glad to see that you're asking such questions about how to return the glory to God and have a desire to seek His will as you are preparing to take the next step in your life. On that note, this verse is comforting indeed. As I see it, I'm glad that God is the one that directs my steps. Knowing myself and my tendency to sin, a self-directed path could only lead to one thing: misery. Take joy in the fact that the Creator of the universe not only cares about you despite of the fact that you are but a mere speck in comparison to all of his creation but that He also desires for your well being.
ReplyDeleteJeremiah 29:11 " For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."