Warrior Truth: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” Proverbs 16 v 9
We all have hopes and dreams that we quietly hold in our hearts. These are sometimes shared with others, sometimes not – depending on how grand or impossible they might seem to us. We may allow ourselves a few precious moments occasionally to unpack our dream closet and daydream for a little about the things that we might one day do or achieve, the places we’ll visit, the book we will write. Reality invariably interrupts our reverie with the common sense that tells us if we want to achieve these things, we need a plan. And so we either set out determinedly to create a plan to make it happen or we pack away our dreams for another day.
I have been intensely guilty of packing it away until another day, until another time, until I can afford to do it. Without realising it, I’ve created a plan (not a very good one but a plan none the less). And so, my heart is momentarily appeased, and my head can continue to be distracted by the busyness of life. Sadly, in this mode, it is easy to miss the opportunities that come our way without ever realising it (or realising it too late.) Here I thought patience wasn’t one of my strengths, but I seem to have a ridiculous amount of it when it comes to waiting on my heart’s desires.
A moment of critical reflection highlighted just how foolish my plans had been. By not anchoring my dreams, I had drifted into a distracted, stressed out and uncreative state, way off track of the intended plan. But despite my poor planning, God was at work establishing my steps. As I considered the dictionary definition of establish (to set up on a firm or permanent basis), I could not help but be completely blown away by the tangible evidence of exactly this. In short, in just over a week, the Cape Sounds book launched (an anthology of poetry, prose and essays) is taking place. When I think about the course of events and people involved in this, there is no doubt in my mind that this has been directed by God Himself. God has shown me through this project that His promises are firm and His ways are perfect. And this, I believe, is just the start.
Warrior Tool: Our warrior tool is our action. God establishes our steps, not our thoughts, not our intent. Our steps, our deliberate act putting one foot in front of the other, moving us forward! It is time to take the steps that God is prompting us to take. Dust off those dreams, those desires God has placed in your heart, make the step and praise Him for the incredible things you see Him do.
Prayer: Thank you Lord that You establish our steps. Thank you Lord that you placed in each of us, special gifts and desires which You have great plans for and which You will bring about. Shows us the steps we need to take today that move us forward in these plans. Help us Lord to see where our plans are not serving us and not serving the purpose for which you have called us. Where we feel stuck and uncertain of the next step, I pray Lord for clarity, I pray for opportunity, and I pray for courage. Thank you for the work You have already begun. Amen.