I want God to direct my steps, yet I spend countless hours creating my own future. I can let my mind wander endlessly—thinking about what’s next, what I want in life, and what I hope will be different going forward. I imagine the next promotion, the next vacation, the next season where my body feels stronger and my mind feels clearer. I make plan and set goals. Occasionally, I pause long enough to offer a prayer for God’s will in my life, but then I keep moving along the path I’ve already chosen—until I reach a crossroads.
It’s usually at those intersections that I remember something I already know: when God directs my steps, things tend to unfold with more peace, more purpose, and far less striving than when I insist on charting my own course.
23-25 I know, God, that mere mortals
can’t run their own lives,
That men and women
don’t have what it takes to take charge of life.
So correct us, God, as you see best.
Don’t lose your temper. That would be the end of us. (Jeremiah 10: 23-25).
I struggle to admit that I don’t actually know how to run my life as well as I think I do. I know how to plan, how to push, how to endure. But knowing how to surrender control is a different kind of wisdom altogether. Scripture reminds us of this truth plainly: mere mortals can’t run their own lives. We don’t have what it takes to take full charge, no matter how competent or capable we may feel.
What I’m learning, slowly, is that inviting God to direct my steps isn’t a last resort for moments of confusion or crisis. It’s a daily posture. It’s waking up and asking—not what do I want to accomplish today—but where are You leading me? It’s loosening my grip on outcomes and trusting.
When I look back, the moments that shaped me most weren’t the ones I orchestrated perfectly. They were the ones where I finally allowed God to lead. Those paths were rarely easy, but they were always worth it. This is my prayer for the year ahead: Lord, direct my steps.
What is your prayer for the year ahead? Will you allow God to direct your steps? Share your story here and breathe life and bring hope to others.