January 16, 2017
Proverbs 16:1
Commit to the Lord whatever you do and he will establish your plans.
CONSIDER THIS
Today we come to yet another critical dimension of wisdom: the relationship between faith and planning.
Trust God.
Make plans.
Is it an “either or” or a “both and” approach? Some want to put an “or” between those two ideas. Trust God or make your own plans. The wisdom of God instructs us to put an “and” between them.
How does this work? 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.
We trust God. Next, we make plans. Then we trust God to establish our plans. Isn’t that what today’s featured text says?
Commit to the Lord whatever you do and he will establish your plans.
This text brings to mind another of my favorite passages in the bible: Psalm 37.
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 whereby we make our plans from a posture of wisdom.
Think about it. 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?
THE PRAYER
Abba Father, I want to want your will over my plans. Grant me the grace to trust you more and then make my plans to reflect your will. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
THE QUESTIONS
1. Why do people tend to err on one side or the other of this “trust-God or make plans” framework?
2. How might I begin with trust in God rather than launching into my own plans and asking God to trust in them?
3. What it look like to trust boldly and then plan confidently?
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J.D. Walt, is a Bond Slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. jd.walt@seedbed.com.