Growing up, when I heard people talk about our steps being ordered by God, I used to think that it was reserved only for a certain group of people who had reached their highest level in God. I used to think that at that point, God would always tell them how and when to do everything. This also means that these people can never miss a beat in God, because He will tell them when to turn right or left, when to stand still, down to whether they should brush their teeth. Does that mean God cannot operate that way? Absolutely not. Does that mean God has to operate or will always operate that way? Absolutely not! Nonetheless, it took me a minute to realize that God doesn’t necessarily operate that way.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” In the New King James version, it says, “and He shall direct your paths.” What I have realized is that God promises to guide or direct our path, but He will not take the steps or make decisions for us, especially those within our control. And God knows that we can choose to go against His guidance. Nonetheless, He promises to guide/direct us in every decision.
So, what does that look like to have our steps ordered by Him?
As weird as it may sound, even when we are the ones taking the steps, we cannot prevent God from ordering them. Also, it is important to keep in mind that because God is ordering our steps, that doesn’t mean we will not face challenges in life. In fact, God ordering our steps is what will most likely lead us to challenges. One of the greatest examples we have is Jesus. He lived among us as a human, and this was God’s perfect will. Everything Jesus did while on earth was according to His Father’s perfect plan, yet Jesus suffered in ways that you and I will never be able to comprehend.
Another thing to consider about our steps being ordered is that we won’t always know everything we need to do in each situation. The truth is, if we were to know and understand everything we need to know and understand every time, then there would be no need for God. In Acts 17: 27 NKJV, the Bible says, “So they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” Here, the word ‘grope’ means uncertainty or blindly searching for something. Therefore, things will not always be as clear as day when God is ordering your steps. Even Jesus admitted that there was something He did not know. Jesus made it clear that when it comes to the day and hour of His return, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the Father. (Mark 13:32; Matthew 24:36). Therefore, we can all agree that some things will require our faith, and that is the part we play in our spiritual journey with God. The Bible talks about the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. None of these heroes of faith was certain of any outcomes, even the things they were believing God for. The Bible says that it was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God tested him, which means that he had no idea how things would turn out. However, Scripture says that “Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.” (Hebrews 11: 17,19). It is not always easy to exercise our faith, but if we know God is ordering our steps, and we believe in what we know, then it becomes easier to trust God and live by faith.
Lastly, when God is ordering your steps, you will end up where you need to be without realizing it.
I remember talking to someone, and we were having a conversation about whether God gives us free will, and his response on the topic stuck with me. He said that we do have free will, but we also have divine interruptions in our lives. I believe that there is truth to his statement. And these interruptions are moments when God will shake our lives out of nowhere to get us on the right path or to help us grow. Personally, I have witnessed several divine interruptions in my life. And I believe that God will allow us to go so far, but when the right time comes for us to pivot or to get into alignment with His plan for our lives, He will direct our paths by any means necessary, even if He must allow us to go through a time of shaking. And God doesn’t hide this truth from us. For instance, when we consider some Biblical texts like Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” or Proverbs 16:9 “In their hearts human beings plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” or when Jesus said in John 3:8 “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” So, God makes it plain that we do not have total control like we think we do.
Have you ever seen some things happen in life that you have absolutely no control over? Has God ever told you that He will do something in your life, and no matter how many detours or no matter what chaos life brings your way, you still see God’s promise being fulfilled in your life? And have you ever noticed that at times, you will be at the right location at the right time, meeting the right people? I’m talking about a pivotal moment, a breakthrough that you didn’t even plan for, you just happened to be there. Well, it might have been a surprise to you, but God was ordering your steps all along; you just didn’t realize it. And when these instances happen in our lives, we often think that they are random because we suppose that somehow God would tell us about them ahead of time. But if we take the time to reflect, we will realize that God is the one working everything out on our behalf, even when we make our worst mistakes. It’s like a GPS; when we take the wrong route, the GPS is still able to guide us and take us to our destination. We might experience some delay during traveling time, but it will still take us where we need to be. It is the same concept when it comes to God. When He is ordering your steps, there is no wrong route, no detour that can stop Him from taking you where He wants to take you.
In conclusion, I believe that we need to be conquerors and overcomers in life, and I have nothing against that. But we must be able to discern God’s guidance as well, and this might get a little tricky sometimes. So in certain circumstances, when you have done all the right things, you’ve done all that you know to do (prayer, fasting, giving, supplication, etc.), and you know that you know you have given the wheel of your life to God, which means you are no longer in control. Then I believe at that point, you should not resist things that are beyond your control, even if things don’t go your way. That’s when you need to let your faith in God kick in, let Jesus take the wheel, and let things play out. Once you know that God will work all things out for your good, then no one and no weapon formed against you will be able to prosper. People or circumstances may have blocked your plan for your life, but they will never be able to block God’s plan for your life. If you believe that with God, you cannot fail. If you believe that you shall live and not die. If you believe that you shall proclaim the name of the Lord and see His goodness in the land of the living, then you shall witness all these things in Jesus’ mighty name.
So, keep believing in God!
SCRIPTURES
“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
“I will go before you and will level the mountains, I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” Isaiah 45:2
Leave a Reply