The “heart” in the Old Testament referred to a person’s basic drive and motivation. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see a list of every plan we had ever made and compare that list to those things we actually did? All of us who looked would see and be grateful for the hand of God as he intervened with protection and redirection in our lives.

Each of us is driven by our own plans, desires, hopes, and dreams. We want to want God’s will but often we don’t want what is God’s will. Sometimes we pray, “Lord, what is your will for my life?” The more important prayer is actually, “Lord, what is your will?” If we know God’s will, we know what he wants us to do with our lives.

The Lord establishes our steps. God is less concerned about what we want and more concerned about what we should want. God is less concerned about what we want to do and more concerned that we do what we should. God always has an eternal perspective for each of our steps. His will for our lives is that we do his will.

We often make our choices and decisions based on the passions of our heart. When we walk with God’s will, he transforms or authors “the desires of our heart.” God will cause us to want what he wants for us if we just understand that his priority is more for our eternal lives than our earthly lives. That perspective will enable us to “plan” our way according to the “steps” our Lord establishes.

Good advice and careful instruction provide wisdom. Knowing that our plans need to be submitted to God’s direction is good advice and wisdom we need to faithfully step onto the path God has established for us.