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Who plans and who leads?

A devotion on seeking God's guidance for our plans

If you think about it, we really do a lot of planning and goal setting. It must be our curious and creative nature that drives us to accomplish things. As kids we set goals for what we want to be when we grow up. As adults, we set goals for our families, retirement and even our weight.

I’ve often wrestled with how much planning I should do and how much should be left up to God. And then how do I know if my plans are God’s or if they are my own? Some people will lay out a fleece of some form seeking to understand God’s will. Others just know or have a strong sense of where God is leading. 

Personally, I can get very confused with it all, so I find Proverbs 16:9 encouraging. "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." I have the freedom to plan, but the Lord will be directing my steps.

God has called each of us and given us unique talents. After struggling with understanding God’s will in my life for years, I finally decided that my part was to plan to the best of my ability, while seeking God’s wisdom, and then be open and flexible to him establishing my steps. 

If you are like me, you may fail to recognize the Lord establishing your steps until you pause to look back. Sometimes when we look back, we can see God has taken us in a totally different direction. So go ahead and continue planning, but be focused on God and open to his guidance on your life and plans. 

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” – Proverbs 16:3

Written by Charlie Wilson, president of Buckner Retirement Services. 

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