A Prayer to Help Direct Our Steps in the New Year
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave” – 1 Samuel 24:3
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Have you ever entered a situation and thought, “Oh, no, what did I just walk into?” Although usually not a dangerous life-or-death situation, many of us most likely have, at one time or another, perhaps walked into an awkward, uncomfortable, or embarrassing setting that catches us off guard and unprepared to deal with at the time.
Counting Our Steps
As we’re out and about our daily lives, do we consider the steps we take seriously? Do we ask God to direct them? Or are we pretty confident in our own ability to choose the direction we take, not really asking God to lead or guide us through our day? It’s easy to get overly confident in thinking we’re choosing our own pathways, making our own decisions, and ruling out that God is directing our steps even when we aren’t aware of it.
When Our Steps Seem Off Track
Unless God reveals to us, we may never know how, when, and where God protected us in situations we unknowingly walked into or avoided, not ever being wiser about what could have happened to us. Yet, in this day and age, if something does go awry, it’s easy to want to retrace our steps in trying to figure out where we went wrong. But as Christians, we don’t have to wonder but rather trust God is leading and guiding our steps even when it seems like we’ve walked into an unpleasant situation. Trusting Him for our steps keeps us from wallowing in regret, having to backtrack, and second-guessing the steps we’ve taken.
Stepping into What Seems Like the Wrong Place
In the story where King Saul is chasing after and hunting down David to kill him, it seemed like he, Saul, walked into the wrong place, a setting where David was at an advantage to take his life. If it seemed like God set Saul and David up to be in this situation, He did. Unknowing to Saul, God divinely led him to that seemingly wrong place where his life could end. Likewise, God divinely directed David’s steps to hide in the cave at the right time, giving him the opportunity to deal with Saul as he saw fit.
1 Samuel 24:4 describes, “The men said, ‘This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.”
That day, each step was directed by God; it was no coincidence but rather Him fulfilling His word to David along with giving him an opportunity to prove whom He truly served, God or himself. Like Saul and David, we can take comfort in knowing that even when we might be hiding out, trying to stay out of the way of our enemies, or seemingly stopping in somewhere randomly to use the facilities, God is directing our steps.
Honoring God in Our Steps
Although David and Saul most likely thought they had chosen their own steps that day, God set them up. As Proverbs 16:9 gives insight, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” As the story goes, David spared Saul’s life that day, honoring God by doing so. Still, he grieved over his arrogance and pride in his actions. “Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. He said to his men, ‘The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord'” (1 Samuel 24:5-6).
Like David and Saul, we want to be aware that God is directing our steps and that even when they lead us to what seems like the wrong or right place for us to be, we want to honor God in our responses and actions, realizing that He may have a divine purpose for us being there.
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father,
This coming New Year, we ask You to help direct our steps and lead us on the paths You have purposed and planned for us. Help us to look to You for guidance in the steps we take, trusting You with each one, even when they seem to lead us to unlikely and undesirable places. Strengthen us to do what honors You in every situation our steps may take us, believing what You say in Isaiah 55:8. “‘ For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord.”
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Photo credit: ©Pexels/Tobi
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
Editor’s Note: We’re proud to announce we’ve just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer, where you can sign up to receive it every evening in your inbox. We are also offering it in podcast form at https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/. We hope it’s a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on God.
Listen to the Your Nightly Prayer Podcast
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