It's a beautiful thing to take big steps in the direction God wants us to go.
When I was younger, I always thought that God was not talking to me because I could not physically hear Him. From a childish perspective, I thought I was forgotten. As dramatic as it may sound, I soon grew up and realized that God talks to everyone in different ways. For some, it is though great dreams, through people, and for others, it is through His Word. Certainly, God is not limited to these, nor should we put God in a box, but I usually hear God through His great Word and through wise council or the people I look up to for advice in my life.
However, I often wait for God's voice to be loud in order for me to follow His calling on my life. Have you ever been listening to someone but you are too distracted or are thinking of something else and you don't retain a single word they say? I often equate this to when we take the reigns of our life from God, He may be telling us to hand the reigns back over but it goes in one ear and out the other, as we are too distracted.
I've had people ask me what God's plan is for their lives. And honestly, I used to be so consumed with this question. I would ask people and God this question constantly, but the moment I realized God's plan is for me to seek Him first, everything made sense. The moment we become more in tune with Him, His plan for our life becomes more evident.
Imagine this: You've been looking for a new car for a while. Then one day out of the blue, a man walks up to you, points to his car, and asks you if you want to buy it. It's a dream come true and the car works great, but you do not know that. The car is what you are looking for, but you do not know this man. You might have a lot of questions and your trust in him might be low. Does the car work? What's the history? You might be skeptical. But what if you knew this man -- what if he was your friend? You would have greater faith that the car is in working condition from the start and you would be disappointed if it were not.
This is like God in our lives. When we are seeking His plan for our lives over simply seeking Him, the moment He tells us to take the steps, we recoil and we have questions. Knowing God makes it a lot easier to trust in Him and in His plan for our lives.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 explains this perfectly, "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”'
Do we know God? When He commands us to walk on His path, will we take confident steps or will we fear what is to come?