She stood before me with tears in her eyes—they weren’t tears of sadness but of nervousness and fear. One of my dear students was going to be speaking in front of an audience of 300 students and parents in 30 minutes, and she was terrified. She had her devotional all planned out, but the nerves were overwhelming her at the moment and she was worried about her message and how it sounded.
I pulled out my phone and opened my Bible app and searched for Proverbs 16:3: “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”
I reminded her that if she committed this talk to the Lord, He would take care of the rest.
He would give her peace as she spoke, and He would bring about the desired result in the listeners.
I watched as she took a deep breath and relaxed. The tension seemed to melt away as we prayed together, claiming this promise that God would bless her efforts.
There is so much pressure in this world to be successful and make something of yourself. After all, it’s the American dream to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” and “climb the corporate ladder.”
It’s easy to get swept up into thinking that we have to do everything and be everything—so we just keep running, pushing forward in our own strength.
There’s nothing wrong with striving for excellence, but there are two principles that King Solomon outlines in Proverbs 16 that put things into perspective and keep us grounded in the truth. Proverbs 16:9 says, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
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He is King of the universe, and He holds each of us in the palm of His hand. In Matthew 10:29, Jesus reminded His listeners that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing it. “So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (verse 31).
We can trust God to guide our steps and lead us in the way we should go.
And once we are on God’s path, we don’t have to worry about the outcome. Proverbs 16:3 reminds us that our plans will succeed when we commit them to God. Of course, we must remember that success in God’s eyes is different than that of the world. Worldly success is about fame and fortune and rising to the top.
Success is God’s eyes is about surrender and humility and service.
“For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts,” says the Lord (Isaiah 55:9). We can’t compare God’s ways to that of the world because they are completely different. Instead, we can simply trust that when we follow God’s path and we commit our plans to Him, He will bring about the results that He desires, which are good and fruitful and righteous, and in the process, our faith will grow and we will become the woman God has designed us to be because of our connection to Him.
What plans do you need to leave with God, trusting Him with the outcome?
Would you like to spend more time focusing on God’s Word and applying His truth?
Download the R.A.W. Scripture Study Method calendar to study the word for yourself.
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