Jeremiah 10:23 (ESV)
23 I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. 

This is one of the most quoted passages in the Old Testament.  In this chapter, Jeremiah acknowledges the great sin of idolatry among the people of God.  One of the most foolish things God’s children did in Old Testament times was to turn to idols.  Idols, after all, are lifeless creations of man.  Earlier in the chapter Jeremiah put it like this:

Jeremiah 10:5 (ESV)
⁵ Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk.  Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.

It is unthinkable that a people who had been so extremely blessed by the true and living God could turn to worshipping the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25).  In the end, idolatry is an attempt for man to direct his own steps instead of following the wise counsel of an all-knowing God.  Such a course never turns out good.  Sadly, substantial portions of society believe otherwise.  Humanists, for example, believe that all man needs to succeed is man. Their self-proclaimed focus “is on using human efforts to meet human needs and wants in this world,” as opposed to relying on a supernatural Being like God.  In other words, man should strive to direct his own steps.

Who do you allow to direct your steps in life?  As Christians, we oppose the doctrine of the humanists who put their trust in self rather than God, but do we live our daily lives more in accordance with their beliefs than our own?  If we are not careful, we can drift into practical atheism.

To be a practical atheist is to live our lives as if God does not exist.  If we are asked, we will surely tell people that God is real and that we trust in Him, but from day to day we do not act like it.  We make unilateral decisions for our lives that do not include God.  We try to solve all of our problems on our own, and when we cannot find a solution to those problems, we simply acquiesce and surrender to defeat.  How is that unlike the course that the humanist follows?  There is a better way.  We can allow God to direct our steps.

Do you want God to be the real conductor of your life?  If you do, begin every day with prayer.  Ask for His guidance for the day to come.  It is a wonderful blessing to be able to pray to God with full confidence that He will hear.  The Hebrews writer exhorted us to pray so that we might find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).  The truth is we need help every day.

Why not begin each day asking God to give you guidance in the decisions that you will be making?  Ask God to help you to not enter into temptation (Matthew 26:41), for even though we have the best intentions and our spirits are willing to do what is right, our flesh is weak.  Ask God to help you control your tongue, regardless of what others say or do to you during the day.  When you start off each day with prayer, you are at least acknowledging that you want God to direct your steps.

In the end, God is directing our steps when we live by His Word.  It is in His Word that we find the instructions by which we should live every day.  It is in the Word of God that we find the training to deny ungodliness and live lives filled with self-control and righteousness.  It is in God’s Word where we can find the teaching to be good husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and even good citizens in our communities.  Let God be the director of your life.  It is not in you to direct your own steps, but God can.  He knows the way.  The question is, will we follow?

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.