I need direction

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. (Psalm 37:23-24)

I want all of us to take heart this morning, for scripture doesn't say "if" we stumble, but rather "when" we stumble. It is kind of inevitable that we will face temptation and not always come out the other side unscathed. We 'give into it' at times, don't we? We know better than to say what we were thinking, but we blurt it out, leaving a wake of hurt feelings. We know better than to pursue that relationship, but we don't think it will hurt us all that much, so we plunge right on in. We know we'd feel better without all that sugar and fat in our diet, but oh how good it tastes, so we give in. Though they stumble - - - they will never fall.

But, you say, I did 'fall' - I gave in, did what I shouldn't have done. Yup, but you didn't fall from grace! You can seek his forgiveness, make a plan for the next time that temptation arises, and face it better the next time. We all know it is coming around again, maybe not in the same way, but it will rear its ugly head once again. We need to ask God to make us ready for the attack, no matter how subtle it may be, so if we stumble (like stubbing our toe without falling), and remain on track, upright in our choices, and walk away instead of 'falling into' that sinful pattern once again. Our steps are directed, but sometimes we have to stop long enough to listen to the direction!

If we haven't realized it yet, we kind of like our independence. That is at the very core of us not asking for directions, even when we find ourselves hopelessly lost and 'at a loss' for how to proceed next. Instead of stopping, listening to God's voice, and hearing his wisdom on how to proceed, we trudge around in the mire just a bit longer. Some of us prefer to learn the hard way, don't we? We struggle around a bit, doing our own thing, maintaining our stubborn independence way longer than we should. Then, as out of desperation for relief, we ask for help. Wouldn't it be much easier to just ask for the help up front?

God delights in directing our steps. Stop long enough to see which way you are headed, check in with him to see if that is the right course of action, and then if not, make the necessary adjustments. You may stumble a bit along the way, but you won't fall when he is in control. Just sayin!