Forcing God's Hand

God is in control of our lives and directs us according to His purposes (Psalm 32:8; 23:1-6; Ephesians 1:11). But He often guides us one step at a time. He led Paul past various places he was forbidden to go to, until finally telling him where he should go (Acts 16:6-10). He fed Elijah through ravens, until the brook dried up and Elijah had to go elsewhere (1 Kings 17:2-16). He told Abraham to leave home and go to the land He would show him, but did not say where (Genesis 12:1). But we often want to know all the details ahead of time. And we can try to force God to tell us before He is ready to. In my experience, this is a mistake and often leads to jumping to the wrong conclusion. Rather, we need to trust God even when it is not clear what He is doing in our life (Proverbs 3:5,6; Hebrews 11:6; Psalms 127:1,2). And follow Him one step at a time.