Proverbs Devotional 3.16.20

I. Prayer to enter the Lord’s presence:

Be still for a moment. “Lord, I give the day that is now past to you.  It is yours.  I give the day that is to come to you; help me to see where you are working and to join you there.  Speak to me during these moments.  I commit them and myself to you.”

 II. Prayer of Confession:

“Lord, you are faithful to forgive me and cleanse me of my sin when I confess it to you.  I confess my sin(s) of ______________.  Thank you for forgiveness.” (1 John 1:9)

III. Prayer of Thanksgiving:

Choose to be thankful, speak out loud of what God has done.
“Thank you, Father, for _________________.  Fill my heart and my mouth with gratitude throughout this day.”

IV. Scripture Reflection

Read: Proverbs Chapter 16

Reflect:

Proverb 16:3

3 Commit your actions to the Lord,
and your plans will succeed.

“Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” Wait a minute—I’ve done this before, but my plans didn’t succeed, so what gives? What if the plan is wicked, what if it brings harm, will it still succeed just because I’ve brought it before the Lord? This proverb seems to promise to much, or so it seems. So what do we do with it?

This is where we have to make sure we are reading the proverb with a proper perspective. We’ve got to remember that proverbs are not to be viewed as absolutes or guarantees, but instead, they should be read as following general principles or promises. Remember that proverbs express what is typically or usually true.

So when we read, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed,” we have to dig a little deeper. What is at the heart of the proverb? It’s giving God control. What keeps us from doing that? Trust—will we trust in God or self. This is really at the heart of the proverb. If you’re like me, you probably assume you can fix any issue in life, yet the longer you live, the more you realize how little you actually do control. I’m 55 years old—and I’m thankful that I’ve learned to trust more and more in the Lord rather than my own resources and abilities. 

Know that God doesn’t promise His blessing on every plan we make, and yet, no plan can succeed without His consent! We’re to trust in the Lord… delight in the Lord… and commit our actions to the Lord. (Psalm 37:3-5) Delight means that we experience great pleasure and joy in His presence—this is only going to happen by getting to know Him on a deeper, more personal level. The more we know Him, the more willing we will be to commit ourselves to Him, to entrust everything we do—our lives, family, jobs, possessions, and children to His control. We can trust Him to work out what is best for us.  

I understand this can be difficult to do when troubles come our way, but it doesn’t make it any less true. Trials are going to come our way. There will be times when anxiety will want to rule us, but we can give that anxiety to God; we can have confidence in God’s ability to sustain and protect us (Matt. 6:25-34). We can confidently commit all that we do to the Lord and know that He will give us peace, which transcends all understanding (Phil. 4:6-7). 

Respond:

What are your plans for today? What is it that is filling you with anxiety? How are you relying on your own resources and abilities to fix it? If you’ve not laid your plans before the Lord, you should. Commit them to Him right now. Know that God’s character can be trusted. His ways are best. Trust in God’s wisdom.

V. Prayer for others:

Pray specifically for the concerns of your life and the lives of others. 

VI. Prayer of commitment:

“Lord God, I commit to love you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind and to love my neighbor as myself.  Empower me today to love you and others with everything that I am.”  (Luke 10:27)

This Week’s Scripture Memory: