We all have probably been the giver and the recipient of the advice, “When you don’t know what to do, just keep moving forward.”
The problem with this advice is there are truly days we may not even know HOW to move forward. What does that mean? What does it look like? And who exactly do we follow in moving forward?
Let’s be honest – there are days when moving forward is not only difficult but downright frightening as we may not even know where we are placing our foot.
I was reading in Psalm 77 this morning, where I found some interesting advice on this topic:
- When we don’t know where to go, we go to Him. “I cry out to God; yes I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me!” (verse 1, NLT) Asaph, the writer of this psalm, turned to God. He asked questions, he let out his feelings and fears, openly with transparency.
- When we don’t know the future, we remember the past. “But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.” (verse 11-12, NLT)Â Asaph relieved his worries and anxiety by remembering the faithfulness of God to him in the past.
- When we don’t know everything, we can know God. “O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you?” (verse 13, NLT) With renewed confidence, Asaph declared that His God stood alone, perfect in all His ways and mighty to do all things. Even the hard things in his life.
In looking back, we can find strength and courage for today, to move forward. And sometimes, a funny thing happens – we find a path which moves us forward and across and past ….
“Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters – a pathway no one knew was there!” (verse 19)
And one day, we will declare …
“Those days, when we couldn’t see You or feel You or know where You were leading us, were hard and depressing days to get through. But now it is clear – You were leading the way through uncharted waters and You were protecting us every single step of the way through. Even then.”
We move forward knowing the One who goes before us.
Today I am joining … Thought Provoking Thurs. and Coffee for Your Heart and Thurs. Favorite Things and Hearts for Home .
Wow Joanne! What an awesome way to start my day! I have no idea what today holds, but Jesus does so I can move forward in Him! Thanks for the encouragement today. God bless! ~ Deb
I am so glad you found encouragement in these words, Deb. Even on those days when we may not see Him, He is before us leading the way. Always. Thank you for encouraging me today!
Hi Joanne, I loved this and featured it in my Around the Blogosphere post today. I’ve been talking about balance all week, and one of my points was taking baby steps of change to just keep moving in the right direction. Thanks for sharing your hope and encouraging us with His love.
It is so true that at times baby steps in the right direction is all it takes. Thank you for sharing!
There is a season for everything. Some seasons are for being still and knowing that He is God, seasons like winter when we let ourselves sink like roots (growing unseen beneath the soil’s surface) more deeply into Him. (just a thought)
Your comment reminded me of a devotional I used for years by Chuck Swindoll which went through the various seasons. So very true, there is a season in which growth occurs unseen but deep. Grateful you shared here!
Grateful for your writing, too ~