The Next Step

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

The next step is all you have to take. Not one giant step for mankind. Not ten hops and a skip. Just the next step.

Sometimes God gives a person a vision or a promise that is meant for the future.Sometimes once he casts that vision, it doesn't always mean the next step is going to take you to the fulfillment of that destiny.

This was the case with a man named Joseph in the Bible who received a dream that one day he would be in a very prominent position. However, that dream didn't come to fruition until he was sold into slavery and spent time in prison after he was falsely accused.

If we are seeking to follow God, he lights our path and guides our feet so that we know enough to take the next step. It seems the darker it gets the more important it is to not look too far ahead, but only where our next step is.

Imagine walking down a dark street with nothing but a lamp. That's right. Not a flashlight, but a lamp. Most lamps won't allow you to see very far. Unlike a flashlight, you cannot really direct a lamp ahead of you to see which way to go, you must wait until you have walked a little further to see what is ahead.

If the path is really dark and there are things along the way to trip you, you probably should walk slowly as you watch your feet take the next step.

Recently, I've been a little anxious about some big decisions we need to make. I keep wanting to get the master plan, but all I seem to get from God is the next step. I think our tendency as humans is to get the big picture and then try to figure out the plan to get there. At least I do. I believe God is after the relationship of trust we grow with him in not having the bigger picture and only the next step.

Just like the new deteriorating concrete steps that were replaced outside our unit where we live, God wants to replace our worn out unstable steps with solid, concrete ones that He lays out for us in His timing and at His pace for our lives. Along the way, we build trust, and before we know it we will be where we need to be next.