“The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9, NASB)
The verse has sat open on my desk for a few days now as I was unable to move on from its words. The words brought to mind another verse:
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23, NASB)
For the Lord to order our steps, we must be willing to follow Him. The Message words this well:
“Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat – I am.”
That is it in a nutshell – we are not to be in the driver’s seat. Our place is to let Him direct, steer, and drive our lives. We are to follow.
I remember well when our first granddaughter began preschool. It did not take long for her to discover the importance of the job of “line leader.”
One day upon leaving school, she explained it to me: “The line leader gets to lead everybody to where we need to go. They are first and everybody is behind them.”
And so began the formation when I would pick her up from school – she, in the esteemed position of line leader. Mimi, the lesser – the caboose, whose only role was to follow.
The memory brings a lesson reminder:
Plain and simple –
Jesus wants the same formation.
He is to take the lead and I am to follow.
Upon typing those words, His Word comes to mind:
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.”
(Psalm 23:1-3, NASB)
When He leads and we follow, the results are incredible:
- More strength
- We bring Him honor
- No fear
- He is close beside us
- We have protection and comfort from Him
- He prepares us a feast
- Our cup overflows with blessings
- His goodness and unfailing love pursue us
He leads for our benefit.
Solely for our benefit.
Jesus – our lineleader.
Come, sit a spell. Bring your coffee, your posts, and your thoughts. If you link up, kindly visit those who have drawn up a seat around you.
