Oceans in the Desert

Kathi Pelton

There is a well-known song by the late Christian artist, Rich Mullins, called “Step By Step.” The chorus declares these words,

“Step by step you lead me. And I will follow you all of my days.”

This is such a simple and yet profound statement. I often receive letters from Christians who are feeling lost and can’t figure out which way to go. Did you know that it is the responsibility of the Lord to make His way known to you? As you seek Him and commit your steps to Him, He will reveal each step. Then you can enter into the rest and trust of a child who knows that their father will make known to them the steps that they are to take.

My husband and I have had to make many decision that there was no way to make on our own; even decisions that would take our family to a new nation. Our wisdom or reasoning could not provide a clear answer or path, so we committed our steps to the Lord and waited for Him to lead. He confirmed His direction and instructions with confirmations that were undeniable.

He is the leader and we get to follow. Every time that my family has faced a new decision or needed an answer, it has come with absolute clarity as we sought the Lord and committed our steps ahead to Him. Often the answer has come in “step by step” revelation; not knowing where the path would take us but being confident in the next step that He made known.

It is important to remember that the steps He orders for you may not make any sense to your human understanding and sight. This was often the case with us. Many times it seemed that the path that was opening before us (and then confirmed to us) was in a direction that was polar opposite of where we thought our lives were going and yet, as we obeyed His clear direction, we ended up in places that were so much higher than we had ever imagined. Our paths are forged by the wisdom of the Lord.

“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9

God does not have us “guess” at His plans for us. I will not move forward without a clear and confirmed instruction from the Lord. I may have only known the first step but I confidently knew that it was Him. James 1:5 promises that we will receive wisdom as we seek the Lord.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

His timing is perfect in every step you are to take and He is absolutely faithful to reveal to you the next step, so that you can apply your faith with confident assurance to what He has made known to you. If it has not been made known by God then don’t do it!

“The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23

Wait upon the Lord so that He is the one directing your steps. He will not leave you guessing, because He is faithful to confirm and give you confident assurance in your steps of faith. Faith is not merely hoping or guessing—it is the confident assurance in what He has spoken and revealed to you through His Word and His Spirit.

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1

James 4 makes it clear that to make plans and execute them without asking the Lord is foolishness.

“Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” James‬ ‭4:13-17‬ ‭

We don’t know what is ahead but our loving God does! Our plans or good ideas, apart from the wisdom of the Lord, are nothing short of “pretentious”; coming from self confidence rather than the confident assurance that comes from the wisdom of the Lord.

He will make His steps known to you, so wait before you move forward. Then, as His next step is made clear, you can move forward in faith and confidence. His steps are sure and His ways are true. May the chorus of your life’s path be,

“Step by step you lead me. And I will follow you all of my days.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To support the ministry of Jeffrey and Kathi Pelton with a financial gift or to sign up for their mailing list, go to: http://www.inscribeministries.com