Psalm 37:23 (NLT)
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
God created us for a specific purpose! The Bible says our days were numbered before we even came into existence (Psalm 139:16). He equipped us with the tools we need to fulfill the mission He designed us for. Make no mistake: There is a spiritual battle going on all around us. I believe the battle can be simplified into one primary thing, which is the use of our Spiritual gifts. God wants us to use them, and Satan is determined to stop us. When we use our gifts, God is glorified and His Kingdom grows. The lost become found and another child is snatched from the enemy’s hands.
The Lord guides our steps and leads us in the direction He wants us to go. Bear with me for a second, but I want to focus on “The Lord directs the steps of the godly”. I am sure most of us have read this verse and others like it. For a long time I took it at face value, “Yep... He guides me.” But what does that really mean? If I truly believe He guides me, I have to accept all of His guidance, not just part of it. It doesn’t say He guides me part of the time when things are good. I have been down some pretty bumpy and dark roads in my past, and truthfully I would be shocked if I don’t go down more in the future. No one likes going through rough times, but I am convinced that those too are guided by Him. As His children, He wants the best for us.
Perhaps the very things He intended for us to learn from are the same things we often allow to defeat us. If I truly believe that He guides my steps, then I also have to believe that even the challenging times happen with a purpose. There is an opportunity to learn in everything! College comes to mind. As parents, we want the best for our children and we want to give them every opportunity to succeed. We send them to college to prepare them and equip them for the life ahead. Perhaps our difficult times are like college classes; He (the Guidance Counselor) enrolls us in the exact courses we need to complete our degree and prepare us for the job (our purpose in life).
When I think back over my college life, there were a lot of classes I didn’t want to attend but I had to in order to get my degree. I didn’t want to do a term paper but it was required. I don’t know the statics on how many, but I know the percentage of college drop outs is high. There were undoubtedly a few times when the classes got tough and interfered with what I wanted to do with my time. It was in those moments the thought of dropping out rather than staying the course crossed my mind. I saw the term paper, not the degree!
I believe He was teaching me something this past week and I would like to share it with you. What comes to mind when you think of the color black? Dark, dull, dreary? The color black is actually made of equal parts of all three primary colors: yellow, blue, and red. All bright colors! Perhaps our dark moments are very similar to this. When we look at it with our eyes, we can’t see the bright colors it is made of but He can! Just because we can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. We see what goes into it, but He sees what is coming out.
Father,
Thank You for taking the time and loving us enough to create us for a specific purpose. Thank You for going before us and guiding our steps along the way. Help us to see past the term paper. Help us to see that in every obstacle and every challenge, You delight in bringing us one step closer to fulfilling our purpose and Your plan. Amen.
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
God created us for a specific purpose! The Bible says our days were numbered before we even came into existence (Psalm 139:16). He equipped us with the tools we need to fulfill the mission He designed us for. Make no mistake: There is a spiritual battle going on all around us. I believe the battle can be simplified into one primary thing, which is the use of our Spiritual gifts. God wants us to use them, and Satan is determined to stop us. When we use our gifts, God is glorified and His Kingdom grows. The lost become found and another child is snatched from the enemy’s hands.
The Lord guides our steps and leads us in the direction He wants us to go. Bear with me for a second, but I want to focus on “The Lord directs the steps of the godly”. I am sure most of us have read this verse and others like it. For a long time I took it at face value, “Yep... He guides me.” But what does that really mean? If I truly believe He guides me, I have to accept all of His guidance, not just part of it. It doesn’t say He guides me part of the time when things are good. I have been down some pretty bumpy and dark roads in my past, and truthfully I would be shocked if I don’t go down more in the future. No one likes going through rough times, but I am convinced that those too are guided by Him. As His children, He wants the best for us.
Perhaps the very things He intended for us to learn from are the same things we often allow to defeat us. If I truly believe that He guides my steps, then I also have to believe that even the challenging times happen with a purpose. There is an opportunity to learn in everything! College comes to mind. As parents, we want the best for our children and we want to give them every opportunity to succeed. We send them to college to prepare them and equip them for the life ahead. Perhaps our difficult times are like college classes; He (the Guidance Counselor) enrolls us in the exact courses we need to complete our degree and prepare us for the job (our purpose in life).
When I think back over my college life, there were a lot of classes I didn’t want to attend but I had to in order to get my degree. I didn’t want to do a term paper but it was required. I don’t know the statics on how many, but I know the percentage of college drop outs is high. There were undoubtedly a few times when the classes got tough and interfered with what I wanted to do with my time. It was in those moments the thought of dropping out rather than staying the course crossed my mind. I saw the term paper, not the degree!
I believe He was teaching me something this past week and I would like to share it with you. What comes to mind when you think of the color black? Dark, dull, dreary? The color black is actually made of equal parts of all three primary colors: yellow, blue, and red. All bright colors! Perhaps our dark moments are very similar to this. When we look at it with our eyes, we can’t see the bright colors it is made of but He can! Just because we can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. We see what goes into it, but He sees what is coming out.
Father,
Thank You for taking the time and loving us enough to create us for a specific purpose. Thank You for going before us and guiding our steps along the way. Help us to see past the term paper. Help us to see that in every obstacle and every challenge, You delight in bringing us one step closer to fulfilling our purpose and Your plan. Amen.