"O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Jeremiah 10:23.
This wise observation of the great prophet Jeremiah is a lesson modern man needs sorely to relearn. The great man of God was trying desperately to turn his people from their sins and idolatry unto God. But they persisted in going their own way to destruction. The Bible says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way." Psalms 37:23. God will direct our steps if we will let Him. The humble, godly man will delight in God's direction for his life. And likewise God delights in the man who walks in His way. But men of the world look unto their own wisdom and understanding for guidance. Consequently, they are guided by their own lust for power or greedy gain of material things. As men constantly expand their knowledge of the physical world, they tend to become less dependent upon God and more reluctant to obey His moral laws. God has gone to the radical extreme of projecting Himself into the stream of human history in the person of His son, Jesus Christ, to show men the way to live. But men continue to prefer to live their own way-the way of suffering, war and final destruction. It is not in man to direct his steps. He must look to God. But pride, arrogance and love for sin prevents him from doing so.