“A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9, NKJV). Two things are true at once here. We plan. God directs. Neither cancels the other out.
There’s a natural tension in that. We’re wired to think ahead, set goals, make lists, and chart a course. This verse doesn’t tell us to stop planning. It tells us that our plans were never meant to be the final word on where our steps actually land.
Think about a plan that didn’t go the way you expected, a job that fell through, a door that closed, a detour you didn’t choose. This verse offers a different lens for those moments: maybe the redirect wasn’t a failure of your planning, but evidence of God’s hand on your steps.
That doesn’t mean every closed door is easy to accept in the moment. It means holding our plans with open hands, trusting the One who’s actually directing where they lead.