Proverbs 20

“A man’s steps are of the LORD; how then can a man understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24, NKJV)

Guidance in the life of a believer is a mystery. I’ve been walking with the Lord for over four decades, and I still don’t understand what He is doing so much of the time. I believe my steps are ordered by God because He says so.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.” (Psalm 37:23, NKJV)

The Hebrew word for “ordered” is usually translated “prepared”. When we trust in the Lord, He prepares our steps. But just where He is leading, and what He wants us to do next, is often hidden from us. I envy those people in the Bible where God spoke to them so clearly. But I also realize that this was probably a rare event. Most of the time they had to walk by faith—the same as us.

I think that we must become comfortable with trusting God when we don’t know what He is doing, and we don’t know the outcome. This is the essence of faith.

Jesus told Nicodemus:

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8, NKJV)

As we cannot discern the movement of the wind, we cannot understand the movement of the Spirit. Nevertheless, we can trust that He is in control, and He is working out all things according to His will. Our job is to offer ourselves to Him and allow Him to lead us in His steps. We must set our sails and let Him propel us across the deep!

Yesterday, I was asked how someone could pray for me. I replied, “Please pray that I can do God’s will in God’s time and receive God’s blessing.” Practically, I think this means reading the Bible every day and asking God to show me what to do next. Then it is simply doing the next thing that comes to mind. Guidance happens naturally as we walk by faith and keep His commandments.