The Inevitable Conclusion

One of those old-time sayings persons once said: "A man plans his actions, but God directs his steps." Or maybe it was something close to that, and I kind of sort of have it right. The question before us this morning is: Have you been in a long-term situation where it seems that no matter what steps you took, the conclusion of the journey pointed all along to only the one possible outcome? Perhaps the journey began years ago when you and I came to a decision that we thought would take us to a new peak in life. Instead, we ended up right in the valley that we tried so hard to avoid. That valley may have included a divorce, or perhaps financial ruin, or failure at something you really wanted to succeed at, but after months or years of effort, boom, right to the very spot where we didn't want to go. Life includes everyday decisions that can take us to many destinations, but no matter what we tried our course corrected like some grim homing missile to the one and only target, the wrong one.

So the question from here is not one of complaint, but one of potential. What does the Lord want me to learn here? Where will my Sovereign Lord take me next? The greatest blessings in my life have come from the lowest valleys of my life's events. The current situation is just ripe with great potential and promise. When the bottom of the valley arrives, there is nowhere to look but up. What is all around is obvious to those in the pit of dread and despair. We might as well look up to the Savior and follow Him! Perhaps the destination was inevitable, but it was only inevitable because God would have us here for His own good reasons. One of those reasons is always so that we will look only to Him and give Him the glory. Oops, I guess that would be two of the reasons.

Praise God for the valleys!
Bucky