Ready, Set, Roll

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

Proverbs 16:3, NIV

One of the things that all the Newlen family has in common is matching planner pads. Although they are the same, we organize them differently. Nevertheless, our planners work well to help each of us carry out our many God-given responsibilities—for me as a wife, mother, coworker, and ministry leader; for Mark as a father, husband, teacher, and coach; for Kali as a college student, InterVarsity video team leader, and babysitter. While we may appear to have a handle on organization, sometimes our plans become so many that they move from being manageable to being big burdens!

Proverbs 16:3 gives us a specific plan to help us avoid being overwhelmed with our plans. We are to commit them to the Lord. He doesn’t tell us not to plan, because that would be unwise. He tells us to commit our plans to Him, whatever we do. When we commit our plans to the Lord, we acknowledge that everything is ultimately in His hands. When we operate using our own efforts instead of depending on Him, we will grow weary (Isaiah 40:30).

A sweet friend named Debbie just shared with me what the word translated commit is in the original Hebrew: it is a word meaning to roll. I love that! Big or small, we can roll our responsibilities onto the Lord. We can drop our many plans off our burdened backs and dump them right down in front of the Living God.

He is not pacing back and forth wondering what He is going to do with His pitiful people who are trying to carry their plans by themselves. He did not create us to carry burdens but to roll them off our backs!

If we are wise, we want His plans. Our plans become His plans when we are faithfully walking with Him. And His plans will succeed, according to His will, in His time.

Let’s roll those plans of ours off our backs and free ourselves from their limits. Then let’s commit to God’s plans for us, believing that His to-do list will be the most productive plan in every way.