One Step At A Time

 

ONE STEP AT A TIME

Trusting God When the Journey Doesn’t Go According to Plan

📖 SCRIPTURE FOUNDATION

Proverbs 2:6 (NLT) — The Lord gives wisdom; true knowledge and understanding come from Him.

Psalm 119:105 (NLT) — God’s Word is our lamp and light, showing us where to place our feet and how to walk forward.

1 Peter 5:6–7 (NLT) — Humble yourself before God, and give Him every worry and care because He cares deeply for you.

Isaiah 41:10 (NLT) — God tells us not to be afraid because He is with us. He promises to strengthen, help, and hold us up.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) — God knows the plans He has for us. His plans are for good, giving us a future and hope.

PART 1 — GOD KNOWS THE PLAN

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God knows the plans He has for us—plans for good, a future, and hope.

Notice something important:

God says, “I know the plans.”

He doesn't say, “You know the plans.”

There is tremendous freedom in that.

We often want God to hand us the entire itinerary before we take the first step. We want to know where we are going, how we will get there, who will be with us, how long it will take, and whether everything will go according to schedule.

But God rarely works that way.

Yesterday was a perfect example.

We were supposed to leave at 8:00 in the morning for the Maine Coastal Botanical Gardens. Ross and I were actually sitting in the Jeep at 7:30, ready to go.

The rest of our group arrived around 9:00.

Then we began our approximately three-and-a-half-hour journey.

When we arrived, we discovered that some of the others had chosen a different route—and, unfortunately, they got lost!

We were supposed to meet someone there at noon.

She arrived on time.

We were about 90 minutes late.

The others were about 150 minutes late.

Let's just say that patience had plenty of opportunity to grow yesterday! 😂

But eventually, everyone arrived.

And then something wonderful happened.

We stopped worrying about the schedule and started enjoying the people.

We were with our friend Karen and her friend Keith, our granddaughter and her husband, our 12-year-old great-granddaughter, and our 2½-year-old great-grandson. And Shannon the kids other Grandmother!

We explored the gardens.

We laughed.

We made memories.

And we got pictures of all five trolls!

The day hadn't gone according to our plan.

But it still turned out to be a very good day.

And perhaps that is exactly what God wanted me to notice.

His plan doesn't have to look like mine for it to be good.

PART 2 — HUMILITY MEANS LETTING GOD DRIVE

1 Peter 5:6–7 gives us the posture we need when life isn't going according to plan:

Humble yourself before God and give Him your worries because He cares for you.

That sounds simple.

But surrendering control is one of the hardest things we do.

We like schedules.

We like certainty.

We like knowing what happens next.

We like being able to say, “This is the plan.”

But sometimes God allows our plans to get rearranged—not because He has abandoned us, but because He is teaching us to trust Him instead of our schedule.

Yesterday I could have spent the entire day frustrated about being late.

I could have focused on the wasted time.

I could have complained about them getting lost.

I could have worried about the time exploring that we were missing.

And honestly, there were certainly moments when I was aggravated!

But eventually, we got there.

Everyone arrived.

And the day became a blessing.

Sometimes the greatest spiritual victory isn't getting everything done.

Sometimes it is simply saying:

“Lord, this isn't what I planned, but I'm going to trust You anyway.”

PART 3 — GOD'S PRESENCE IS BETTER THAN OUR PERFECT PLAN

Isaiah 41:10 reminds us that God doesn't promise that everything will go smoothly.

He promises something even better:

He will be with us.

He says He will strengthen us.

He will help us.

He will hold us up.

Think about that.

God doesn't say, “Nothing will ever go wrong.”

He says, essentially:

“When things go wrong, I will still be there.”

That changes everything.

Yesterday wasn't perfect.

We were late.

People got lost.

Plans changed.

We were tired.

And by the time we finally left, the folks who arrived last had brought food.

But we were simply too exhausted to stay.

We headed home.

We arrived, fed all the animals, and went to bed...

without even eating dinner!

Crazy?

Absolutely.

A failure?

Not at all.

Because sometimes a successful day isn't measured by how perfectly everything went.

Sometimes it is measured by how many memories you made while things were going completely sideways.

And yesterday gave us plenty of memories.

PART 4 — ASK GOD FOR WISDOM

Proverbs 2:6 tells us that true wisdom comes from God.

We have access to more information today than any generation before us.

We can search almost anything.

We can ask almost anything.

We can hear thousands of opinions.

Yet information isn't the same thing as wisdom.

Wisdom is knowing what to do with what we know.

And sometimes wisdom looks like changing the plan.

Sometimes it looks like waiting.

Sometimes it looks like turning around.

Sometimes it looks like letting someone else take the lead.

Sometimes it looks like laughing when you really want to scream.

And sometimes wisdom simply says:

“This isn't going the way I expected, but God is still with me.”

We don't need to understand every delay.

We need to seek God's wisdom for the next step.

PART 5 — GOD ONLY PROMISES THE LIGHT FOR THE NEXT STEP

Psalm 119:105 tells us that God's Word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.

A lamp doesn't illuminate the entire road at once.

It gives us enough light to see where to put our next foot.

And that is often how God leads us.

We want the floodlight.

God gives us the lamp.

We want the entire map.

God gives us the next turn.

We want to know how everything will work out.

God says:

“Trust Me with today.”

Think about how different our lives would be if we stopped demanding answers for tomorrow and simply trusted God with today.

We don't need to know every detail.

We need enough light for the next step.

PART 6 — SOMETIMES GOD'S BLESSINGS ARE HIDING INSIDE THE DETOURS

There was another little blessing tucked into yesterday.

The tickets we used to visit the gardens would have cost $32.

But we were given them for free.

Then, as we were leaving, a woman gave us two more free tickets, good for any time this year.

What are the chances?

Sometimes God's provision doesn't arrive with trumpets.

Sometimes it looks like a free ticket.

Sometimes it looks like the right person showing up.

Sometimes it looks like a beautiful day with family.

Sometimes it looks like a toddler making everyone laugh.

Sometimes it looks like five enormous trolls standing in a garden!

And sometimes it looks like simply having enough strength to make it home, feed the animals, and fall into bed.

We can become so focused on what went wrong that we miss what God quietly did right.

Don't let the detour make you miss the blessing.

WHEN OUR PLANS COLLIDE WITH GOD'S PLANS

Yesterday taught me something I don't want to forget:

A delayed day can still be a blessed day.

A wrong turn can still lead to the right destination.

A changed schedule can still create beautiful memories.

A frustrating beginning can still have a wonderful ending.

And a journey that looks nothing like what we planned can still be exactly where God wants us to be.

Jeremiah 29:11 wasn't written to people whose lives were easy.

It was spoken to people living in exile.

Their circumstances were difficult, uncertain, and far from what they wanted.

Yet God reminded them that He knew the future even when they couldn't see it.

That is the promise we can hold onto today.

You may not understand what is happening.

You may not know why the door closed.

You may not understand the delay.

You may not know why your carefully made plans fell apart.

But God does.

He knows the plan.

You don't have to.

TODAY'S CHALLENGE

So today, I'm going to try something different.

Instead of asking God to make everything happen according to my plan, I'm going to ask Him to help me recognize His plan.

Instead of demanding the whole map, I'll ask for enough light for the next step.

Instead of carrying every worry, I'll hand it to the One who cares for me.

Instead of becoming discouraged when things don't happen on my schedule, I'll look for the blessing hiding inside the detour.

And instead of asking, “Why isn't this going the way I planned?”

I'll try asking:

“Lord, what are You showing me here?”

Because perhaps the delay isn't wasted time.

Perhaps the detour isn't a mistake.

Perhaps the closed door isn't rejection.

Perhaps the unexpected isn't an interruption.

Perhaps God is simply leading us one step at a time.

❤️ A FINAL THOUGHT

Yesterday we left home with a plan.

The plan changed.

Then it changed again.

And again.

We waited.

We got frustrated.

We got tired.

We got lost in the schedule.

And yet, somehow, we ended the day with smiles, memories, pictures of five trolls, family time, free tickets, and hearts full of gratitude.

We didn't get the perfect day.

We got our day.

And God was in it.

Maybe that's the lesson.

We spend so much of our lives asking God to bless the plans we have made that we sometimes forget to ask Him to guide the steps we are taking.

So today, wherever you are and whatever you're facing, take a breath.

You don't need to know everything.

You don't need to fix everything.

You don't need to understand everything.

You don't even need to know what tomorrow will bring.

You only need to trust the One who already knows.

God knows the destination.

God knows the road.

God knows every detour.

God knows every delay.

God knows every blessing waiting around the corner.

And if He gives you only enough light to see the next step...

take it.

One step.

One prayer.

One day.

One moment at a time.

And trust that the God who knows the whole journey will faithfully walk every mile with you.

🙏 PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for reminding us that Your plans are greater than ours.

Forgive us for the times we become frustrated because life doesn't happen according to our schedule. Forgive us when we try to control everything instead of trusting You.

Teach us to surrender our plans into Your hands.

When we are delayed, give us patience.

When we are confused, give us wisdom.

When we are afraid, remind us that You are with us.

When we cannot see the road ahead, give us enough light for the next step.

Help us notice the blessings we might otherwise miss because we are too busy focusing on what went wrong.

Thank You for family.

Thank You for friends.

Thank You for laughter and unexpected adventures.

Thank You for beautiful places, five giant trolls, free tickets, safe journeys, and memories that will last far longer than the frustrations of yesterday.

Most of all, thank You for being the God who never gets lost, never arrives late, and never loses sight of where we are going.

Even when we don't understand the journey, help us trust Your heart.

We don't need to know the whole plan.

We simply need to know You.

Guide our feet today.

Light our path.

Strengthen our hearts.

Carry our worries.

And help us take the next step in faith.

In Jesus' precious name,

Amen.

🙏 The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom,

And the power,

And the glory, forever.

Amen.

BELIEVE. OBEY. BE BLESSED.

AMEN.

BOBBA ❤️

Love, Penny 💛