Psalm 119:73 (NKJV)
“Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.”
Have you ever sat down and really thought about your life, where you are, where you are going? Maybe you are trying to find your career path and are not sure which way to go with it? How about feeling that there may be more to your life or what you are doing?
These may be questions you ask yourself all the time, maybe even on a daily basis. This could be especially true if you feel stuck in a place without seeing a way to go. It doesn’t have to be a low, rock-bottom feeling, but caught in a loop of sameness that seems to have no end.
As I sit and write this, I can’t believe that several days have passed since I began putting together the newsletter and I find myself at the end of another week. I have had an adventurous ten days where my position where I work is changing due to funding.
When you work for a non-profit you don’t want to think about the money that makes it happen, and I have been fortunate that there are behind the scenes people that are more involved in the process than I am. However, sometimes programs have to adjust when things change.
It happens all the time when a new grant comes in or another reaches an end. It’s like a camera where you adjust the focus when you change where you are aiming your attention. I am excited because I will get to add a workshop that will help more men and women who are trying to plan a more successful future.
The point is that we can have so much going on in our lives that time slips by so fast. We get caught up in the busyness of life or the changes that our focus may not always be clear. This can happen often, but when major events occur, we may encounter more moments of self-reflection. The opening questions can come back around to be answered again.
Ending a job, looking for a new one, a promotion, a change of position, or even retirement can lead you to ponder the direction of your future. Our journey could or at least should be one where we feel we are fulfilling what we are meant to do. But many of us just grind out each day and don’t even consider where we are.
It took me many years to come to grips with the environment I worked in. Not only completing my duties, but how those duties affected others around me. Everyone and everything in my work and personal life could be touched by my intentions, attitude, and wellbeing. I finally took the time to see where I was at and possible paths forward.
I put off completing my education for years and it wasn’t until I actually changed my perspective that I was able to plan a better path forward. It wasn’t just what was expected of me or to continue on the path that I was on, I had to change the lens I was looking through. I had to start looking up to find what I was missing.
I wasn’t just going back to study at a traditional school, I was led to seek my education at a bible college. Traditional subjects were enhanced with the biblical ones that were included in my journey. Then what started down a path for a Criminal Justice degree finished with one in Biblical Studies.
I was initially looking for where the world would want me to be with the interests I had, not where God wanted me to be. The original path would not have effectively prepared me for where I needed to be. Like in the opening scripture, I know God’s hands have made me, but I must seek His understanding. Not my understanding, but His for the plans He has for me.
We all try to plan our lives, but Proverbs 19:21 shows us we need to change our focus, “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.” We may or may not take the time to plan our life out in detail, but if they are not in line with what the Lord has planned for us then there is a good chance that they may not stand.
We must discover the details of how we have been crafted. These are the gifts that we have been given. Other people may have similar gifts, but each of us are truly unique and they should be used how God has intended. We see this reflected in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
When our plans fall through or we find ourselves in a place we don’t want to be, we may try to blame God by asking why he allowed it to happen. But Him not rescuing us from our own folly is not on Him, that is on us. Especially when we did not follow to where He was leading.
God only has good plans for us as He did for the Israelites. This can be heard in the words that He gave to Jeremiah in 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” A favorite scripture of many as a reminder of His promises.
We need to take a step back to truly evaluate where we are and where we are going. This may have to be done often to ensure we are walking with the Lord. So, keep educating yourself from the Word, take the time to pray over all your plans, and find the purpose that God made you for.
Looking at the horizon and wondering how far it goes,
Trying to decide a best path forward, looking for clues it shows.
But sometimes it’s not what we want but where we need to be,
Even trying to close our eyes when it’s something we have to see.
Each step on a road that’s not clear may bring doubt and fear,
A slip or wrong turn can bring the feeling that disaster is near.
I know that I have to keep moving and stopping is not an option,
I have to trust the plans God has for me and not proceed with caution.
That’s why we need to pray and ask for His strength and guidance,
To find the times we need to speak up and when to remain in silence.
We can make all the plans we want but God has the ultimate say,
Fore no matter what we choose to do in the end it will be His way.
So embrace the Lord for all He has done to forgive us of our sins,
It doesn’t matter how the battle goes in the end we know who wins.
With arms raised I will pray to the one who made me with His hands,
For a purpose that is known to him for Here And Across The Lands.
Simple Faith Christian
simplefaithchristian.com
Copyright 2025
Simple Faith Christian 