You don’t have to have it all figured out

“Peace is found in walking by faith, not by figuring out the future”

In reading this quote recently, I began to think about how often I try to figure out things on my own instead of simply walking by faith.

What do we do when we don’t know the next step to take?

Our life for the past 6 months has been a series of ups and downs, highs and lows, fear and uncertainty, soul searching and questions.

We have found ourselves frequently unsure of the next step to take. We have lost sleep over decisions to be made, we’ve felt frustrated, defeated, overwhelmed and unsure.

But the one thing that has been an immoveable rock and a strong foundation, is the promise that God is good. God is still good when everything is falling apart. God is still good when the answers don’t come. God is still good when it looks like you’re going under for the last time.

It doesn’t matter what is happening in your life, God is still good!

Over and over in many of the Psalms we read of God’s goodness.

Psalm 107:8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

If all seems lost and you don’t know the way to take, remember God is good and he will DO good and he will be there for you as you trust in him.

“Peace is found in walking by faith, not by figuring out the future”

It really is true that peace comes when you put your trust in Christ, relying on him and the promises in his word, daily spending time with him, casting all your cares on him and lying contentedly in his plans for your life. A very well-known and loved passage of scripture is found in the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rattled these verses off, having memorized them as a child. But what a blessed and precious promise they hold.

How often do I find myself leaning on my own understanding? That word lean, in the Hebrew, has the idea of putting your whole weight on. This is not a casual leaning, like you would lean on the door jam in weariness nor is it the same as leaning against a chair to steady yourself. No! It means to rely on and put your whole weight on. It is also translated many times in scripture as resting.

So, we are told NOT to rely on, put all our weight on, rest on or in, our own ways and methods and understanding, but to trust in the Lord.

Too many times I try and figure out the future, when God is the only one that can see that far ahead. Often, I find myself trusting completely in the plans I’ve figured out only to find them crumble at my feet as they were not God’s plans.

These verses promise me that if I trust in the Lord, he WILL direct my paths. He WILL light my way. He WILL show me where to take my next step, where to place my foot, which path to go and how fast to walk along it.

We all feel overwhelmed at some point in our lives, and often, many times in our lives, it’s not something you ever really grow out of.  

I have the bad habit of making something out to be worse than it really is. Overthinking it. Making it harder or more complicated when it really isn’t. I’m sure that’s why God gave me a practical, level-headed husband, to help balance me out and pull me up when I’m spiralling.

We have to learn to stop overreacting, overthinking, calculating and planning in order to gain clarity. We just need to learn to trust and let God do the organizing for us. Don’t calculate for clarity, trust for truth!

Easier said than done, I know. A born organizer, like myself, finds it hard to let go of the controlling and just let God do his will.

But if we really believe God’s promises, then we can sit back, content that he will work it all out, trusting that he will direct our paths. This doesn’t mean that we do nothing. God gave us our intellect and he expects us to use it. God wants us to put feet to our prayers.

Ultimately, it comes back to what you know of God and what you believe of him.

If we develop a deep and intimate knowledge of God and we have confidence in his character, we can have the assurance that he will work for our good and for his glory. When we truly know God, we can’t help but trust him. And if we look back over our lives, and remind ourselves of his goodness, we will be encouraged to keep trusting, as we know he has come through in the past and will come through in the future.

If we can learn to walk by faith and not by sight, if we can learn to trust God completely, we will experience more peace in our lives. We won’t find ourselves fretting over what ifs and when and how.

God knows everything that has gone before, and he knows everything that is to come. What a wonderful comfort it is to trust in someone so all-knowing and all-powerful, that we don’t have to have it all figured out, because we know he already has it planned.

When I don’t know what step to take next or what decision to make, I can rely on God to guide me. His timing is not the same as mine, and he may make me wait on the answer, longing for me to trust him more, but if I can just remember that he is good and he loves me and wants what is best for me, I am able to wait and rest while I wait, knowing that when the time comes for me to plant my foot firmly on that next step, it will be there, steady and strong, ready for me to put my whole weight on it, in faith believing in him.

A beautiful quote I read many years ago and have never forgotten and constantly remind myself of is this:

“Faith is stepping where there is no place to step and finding yourself standing and reaching when there is nothing there and coming back with a handful.”

Don’t fear to step out in faith. Don’t try and figure it all out. God’s promises hold true. He says he won’t leave us or forsake us. He says he will direct our paths. He says he will bring peace. He says he cares for you. And it’s true!

Every promise God gives to us is good, and faithful and true!

If God calls you to something, he will give you the ability to do it. If he asks you to step out in faith, then don’t fear the emptiness ahead, he will make sure there is somewhere to plant your feet. He will show you the next step in his perfect timing. Trust him!