With Open Hands
Andi Merrill / Pastor of Worship Arts
“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9
As I write this, it’s New Years Eve. If you heard Pastor Justin preach this morning, we got to anticipate the countdown and ball drop and all of the “feels” that go with it. It’s the end of one thing and the start of something new, and usually I am VERY excited about that. I like change. I like goals and making plans for the future, and yet this year I don’t feel excited for the ball drop and date change. I’m rolling into 2024 with hands open and mind very unsure of what the next year might hold, and maybe that’s a good thing! Proverbs 16:9 describes my life so well – probably yours too. We make plans, set goals, search for our calling inevitably to have God lead us to places we never had on the radar. How many of us would say we’re exactly where we thought we’d be if we’d been asked 10 years ago where we’d be in 10 years? How many times has God thrown something in our path that we didn’t expect, and it ended up being a gateway to fruitfulness or joy? God establishes our steps.
I love that Proverbs 16:9 is a sort of promise that God really is in control. Even when we plan our own way, if we are open to His leading, we’ll be sure to end up where He wants us. God does grant us free will, so we always have the option to choose our own way, but that’s where positioning comes in. We know we can’t change our own hearts, but we can position ourselves before the Lord to let Him change us. We can’t possibly know what the best path is for us, but we can position ourselves before the One who promises to guide and to turn all things for good.
So maybe this feeling of cluelessness for 2024 that I have isn’t a bad thing. Maybe walking into it with uncertain hands open will be the best posture I can take. And maybe by the time you read this I’ll already be getting direction from the Lord that I don’t expect – maybe you will too! My prayer for my Eastern Hills family is that we step into each day with anticipation and with the promise that God is establishing our steps, so that when we get to the end, we can KNOW that we’ll hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).