What if we prayed for God to establish our plans?
“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
The LORD works out everything to its proper end.” Prov. 16:3,4
Do you pray for God to bless your plans or do you ask him to establish them?
There’s a big difference between the two.
When we ask God to bless our plans we say, “Here’s what I’m planning to do, God. Please bless it.”
This might sound spiritual and many live out this option, but who is in control of where we go and what we do?
We are.
We don’t know what the next second of our life will bring, let alone the weeks, months or years ahead. Who are we to think that we can plan and control our future?
The better option is to ask God to make, or establish, our plans.
This way acknowledges that God is sovereign and knows much more than we ever could. When we choose this way, we look to God to direct. Making this choice gives the control into his able and knowledgeable hands.
Scripture is clear about how we should face our future.
“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.” James 4:13-16
The thing to keep in mind is that God has great plans for us. Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God is able to do more than we could ask or even imagine. His plans are to bless us and to use us to bless others. Those plans are unfolded when he is in charge.
Unfortunately, though, many of us hinder those plans by living life our way. We make our plans then ask him to bless our well-planned life. Who do we think we are?
What a sense of peace yielding to him brings! It takes the burden of deciding what to do tomorrow, next week or next year off our shoulders and gives it to God.
Our role is not to figure everything out but instead to trust God to direct, and then to follow his leading and direction.
And be assured, God will make clear the way to go. He is not a God of confusion. He will guide.
Your role is to trust him to lead and then follow that leading.
What if you prayed for God to establish your plans?