Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)
Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.
Today we come to another critical dimension of wisdom: the relationship between faith and planning.
- Trust God.
- Make plans.
Some say trust God but make your own plans.
How can I know if my plans are in alignment with God’s plans?
The short answer is you can’t know.
You can only trust.
We don’t put our trust in our plans.
Nor do we trust that our plans are God’s will.
- We trust God.
- Next, we make plans.
- Then we trust God to establish our plans.
Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.
Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:3–4).
When we place our trust in the Lord, he gifts us with the unseen hand of his wise governance. When we “commit to the LORD whatever [we] do,” it brings us into the kind of relationship with God where we can make our plans from a posture of wisdom.
In any relationship, the breakdown of trust creates anxiety.
- Anxiety leads to confusion and unwise planning.
- Trust, on the other hand, inspires mutual confidence and faith.
- This leads to good planning.
Trusting God brings a quality of wisdom into our planning that changes the shape of our plans.
Our tendency is to make plans and then ask God to establish them. The key is to establish a trust in God and then make our plans.
Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.
Makes sense, doesn't it?
PRAYER
Abba Father, we want to want your will over our plans. Grant us the grace to trust you more and then make our plans to reflect your will. We pray in the name of Jesus, amen.
PROMPTS
- Why do people tend to err on one side or the other of this "trust God or make plans" framework?
- How might you begin with trust in God rather than launching into your own plans and asking God to trust in them?
- What does it look like to trust boldly and then plan confidently?
Comments