Proverbs 20:24 A man's steps are of the Lord

The Lord is in control.

It may not be clear to us at the time what is happening or why, but what is definite is that all things are in God's hands. There may be times when we question events, but ultimately our understanding is not enough to comprehend the ways of the Lord.

Proverbs 20:24 states, "A man's steps are of the Lord, how then can a man understand his own ways?"

No matter what situation arises, those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ can take comfort in the knowledge that their heavenly Father is in control. Romans 8:28 states: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."

When Jonah had been thrown overboard into the tempestuous seas, Jonah 1:17 states "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."

We have all heard the story of Jonah and the Whale and have the benefit of hindsight when we read it. We know that Jonah would be thrown over board, swallowed by a great fish and ultimately saved so that he may go on to preach to the people of Nineveh. However, for Jonah, who did not have the benefit of hindsight and did not know what was coming next, it must have been hard for him to understand what was happening to him. Things seem to go from bad to worse, from the boat hitting a storm to being eaten by a large fish. For Jonah (and for anybody who may find themselves in a similar situation) when he is sat on the boat before the storm came he could not have even begun to imagine that in a few hours time he would be thrown into the sea and then be eaten by a whale. Yet, despite Jonah's limited understanding and knowledge, God knew very well how the situation would plan out. Verse 17 tells us that He had even prepared the fish to eat him.

Ultimately, God is in control. Isaiah 40:22 states that God "sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in."

As Christians we should not become bitter or hopeless in any situation that we find ourselves in, but rather increase our faith in Him and obtain peace in the knowledge that everything is in His control. Isaiah 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than yours." 

Matthew 6 25:34 states:
"... do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

We do not understand our own steps or our own paths, but God does and we can have the utmost confidence in Him.

Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you."

Do not worry. Seek first the kingdom of God.

-BACChristian