Today's Encouragement

How God Leads

Chrystal Evans Hurst

“The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23 (NLT)

One of the rules at the summer camp I attended as a girl was: NO FOOD IN THE CABINS. And like all the best rules, there was good reason for it. That good reason was called “ants.” Those sneaky little devils would follow the tiniest trace of a crumb straight to the source and then call all their friends to line up, file in, capture the booty and file back out into ant-land.


Did I still stash banned goodies of granola bars, Oreos, chips and Capri Suns under my bunk? Yup. And sure enough, those ants followed the crumbs and found my treasure.

Often, I find myself worried and fretful I might not ever find the treasure — never fully becoming the woman God wants me to be. I want to maximize my time on earth for His glory and see my good as a benefit. I want to live out my purpose, be a caring friend, love my family well, serve faithfully in my local church, disciple others successfully, honor my body as the temple of God, and be excellent in all I put my hands to do.

But I feel anxiety at times that I simply won’t be able to figure things out and live my life fully stewarding the resources God has given me.

While my concerns still sometimes crawl into my subconscious and fear tries to rise up, I’ve learned that there’s another treasure God has given me to quiet my head and heart.

God leaves “crumbs” to lead us.

Psalm 37:23 reminds us how God enjoys leading us in the details of our lives, and He helps us on the way by leaving a trail of “crumbs” right in plain sight. “The LORDdirects the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”

The first and most obvious of those crumbs are the words that over thousands of years He’s made available for our instruction. God left His Word to be a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

Moses’ story is a good example of how God uses crumbs to lead us to His purposes. In Exodus 2, we read about Moses and his passion for the Hebrew people. Even though he was raised as Egyptian royalty, Moses cared so passionately for the Israelites that he actually murdered an Egyptian who’d beaten a Hebrew slave (Exodus 2:11-15).

After running for fear of his life into the desert, Moses no longer had a life of royalty but instead took on the lowly position of a shepherd. He led sheep. He got practice caring for those who needed constant guidance and direction.

So when God meets Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3 and tells Moses it’s time to lead the Hebrew people into freedom, Moses is confused. How could God be asking him to lead His people to the promised land … when he was such a sinful, simple, unsophisticated soul?

The answer? God saw what Moses didn’t.

He saw the treasure in Moses. He understood that the breadcrumbs of Moses’ passion, personality and profession were the path to the treasure He could use.

If you’ve never had a clear vision of who you should be, here’s the good news — you serve a God who knows you better than you know yourself! And He wants to surprise you with who He knows you can be!

Simply follow the crumbs.

First, prioritize studying God’s Word and obeying His commands. Next, take time to look at what God has put in you — who He’s already uniquely made you to be. Then, pay attention to opportunities that come your way and the story God’s allowed you to live. As you move in the direction God leads through the crumbs He provides, you’ll discover the treasure — the abundant life God intends for you to live.

You may not know everything there is to know, but you don’t have to. God always has a plan and destination in mind. We just have to follow the crumbs. Connect what you know with what you do, and watch new paths form in front of you.