Proverbs 16:9; Proverbs 20:24; Psalm 131

9 In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.

24 A man's steps are directed by the LORD.
How then can anyone understand his own way?

Are these truths comforting to you or are they frustrating? I suspect you may have, as I do, an element of frustration associated with these statements. When you really think about it, as much as we sometimes think we would like to see the future, to see how things turn out for us and the people we love in this or that area of life, that is actually the last thing we need. I think the unconscious goal there is to eliminate faith from the equation. We think, if we could only walk by sight and not by faith, our anxiety over unknowns and risks would dissipate and we could make perfect, stress-free decisions and (could it be)....not need God.

But because we are designed to need God, a pursuit that is devoted to the opposite can only result in frustration, depression and anxiety. The result of the original sin of Adam and Eve shows us more than anything that desiring to replace faith with knowledge when it comes to the things God has promised to handle is asking for hard times. So if you are struggling today with stress over the unknowns of the future, maybe it is time to replace your desire to eliminate the unknowns and replace it with a desire for more faith.

Psalm 131
1 My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.