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The Lord Determines Our Steps

I’m someone who loves structure. I like having a planner and writing notes, saving my money for a fun purchase or a trip I want to go on. I like itineraries and checklists and rely on them to get through my day. Essentially, my whole life has been about planning. As I made my way through high school, I started planning out my future - specifically, what my next 5-7 years would look like through and right after college. My life itinerary looked like going to college with my friends, studying art, finding a boyfriend, graduating with a great job in the works, getting married by 24, and having a baby by 26. I had it planned out perfectly! I prayed for these things and had my eyes on the prize. The funny thing is God usually has other things in mind.

Proverbs 16:9 reads, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” This verse, along with the preceding 1-8, has become my compass when things go differently than I expect or want them to. When things seemingly go awry in my life, and I feel stressed, scared, and lost, this verse puts me back on the right path. In those moments when my plans fall apart, I’m reminded that it’s all so God’s plans can be put into motion.

I believe that through true devotion and faith, The Lord will bless us with the desires of our hearts. This being said, I invite you to remember that when those desires are not granted, a bigger plan is laid out for you.

If you haven’t figured it out already, all those plans I had for myself didn’t exactly play out the way I had hoped they would. Instead of going to school with my friends, I decided to go to Southern Nazarene University on my own, where I found new lifelong friends. I ended up studying Graphic Design (and had no idea what it was when I went in as a freshman) which enabled me to work at SNU as the head designer when I graduated. And if you’re wondering, no, I didn’t get married by 24! While things look slightly different than I had envisioned, God gave me more than I could’ve ever imagined.

Discussion Question:

Scripture tells us that God gives us the desire of our hearts. Discuss why God’s plans for us don’t always align with what we have in mind for ourselves.

Olivia Lindsly
SNU University Graphic Designer