Ordered Steps

“Let’s just wait for this pandemic to end, then we will...” Everyone is making plans to be executed right after the curfew is lifted. Huge plans are being jotted down by business proprietors, real estate project managers, couples planning for premarital counselling, singles looking to buying a ka-plot, pastors launching new ministries, and the list is endless.

As a parent, my mind has been racing making plans for myself, my daughters, and for my son. I have been busy strategizing on the projects I need to have hacked by age 60. An age where I should be enjoying life with a big spoon hopefully with my significant other. Example, my daughters should have been married or engaged by then. For my son, I should have acquired land that is served by a permanent river. My spouse should have made enough trips to my parents for the seemingly unending dowry payments.  Goodness gracious, in my mind these plans are valid, don’t you think? Well, it is very human to make plans with self-confidence that they will come to pass, to a good extent, I can call that putting faith into action.

Living under the assumption that we have a right over tomorrow is a serious mistake. Don’t get me wrong, it is good to have goals, but they can disappoint us if we leave God out of them. Considering the future is in His hands, how foolish it would be to disregard His plans and His will for us. The Bible talks about our lives being a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. The reality is that we cannot live and make plans with the assumption and self-assurance of the continuation of our lives. Then go further to assume guarantee of success of the projects we undertake and disregarding the providence of God or the centrality of His role in our plans!

God is sovereign.  He can decide to rearrange all of our plans. Man is a dependent creature thus our lives should be subject to the direction and dominion of our Creator. How wise it is to acknowledge the need to constantly depend on Him!  If we put God’s desires at the core of our planning, He will never disappoint us. A man’s heart plans his way but the Lord directs his steps (Proverbs 16:9). Don’t you think it is wise to surrender to what He has planned for our lives? Something else: there is no point in boasting about tomorrow yet we do not know what tomorrow will bring forth?  Jeremiah prayed and said, “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

In James 4:13-17, God’s design is that in every plan and in every step we take, we should say “if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” “If the Lord wills, we shall live.” It means that our lives are at the disposal of God; thus we need to be submissive to Him. “If the Lord wills, we shall do this or that” means our wishes, plans and actions need to have a constant sense of submissive dependence on the will of God.

If the end result is for God to be glorified and His will to rule, then you and I can be assured we are on the path He so ordained.

I don’t know about you, but as for me and my family, we will choose to be wise and hold on to our plans loosely and let God direct our steps and pray that we will discern His leading.