August 21, 2012 ~ Commit it to the Lord

Commit your works to the Lord

And your plans will be established.

Proverbs 16:3

Thoughts~

As a young girl I adored school and my teachers were my heroes. I wanted to please them and make good grades; mostly to get praise from them and my parents. I wasn’t a student who wanted so much to learn back then, as to please others.

I remember one teacher had a wooden “in box” on her desk where we deposited our work for her to check. I loved walking up to her desk, proud to hand in my homework and get a happy smile from her. When she would hand it back to me the next day with an A, I was thrilled to know I had followed the instructions and had done my best. On days where a B appeared, I wanted to know what I had done wrong. I was committed to getting good grades in order to please everyone.

Today, when I turn over anything I want to do to the Lord, leaving it in His “in box”, I am leaving it for him to check out. I am committed to having Him okay my work, knowing He will establish my plans. I fully trust He will redirect me if there is something that will be better for me. The reformations study bible says this about Proverbs 16:3:

“The expression is unusual. It may mean that our plans should be entrusted to the Lord (Ps. 37:5), or devised with conscious application of the principles of God’s Word.”

In the past, when I failed to commit something to the Lord and plunged into unknown territory, using my own intuition, I most of the time found myself regretting I didn’t get better direction from the Lord. He would have saved me time, energy and even some failures. It’s not that He hasn’t given me a sound mind and I can’t make decisions on my own, it’s simply that He can refine them and give me His blessing or show me other opportunities that will be better.

As I work through my under graduate course work in Social Work in order to find employment at a Hospice center, I commit my studies to Him, asking Him daily to reveal any changes He might want to make and redirect my path. There are days I question if Hospice is the best place for me or if there is something else where I can “give back” to my community.

However, I know I will be in good hands as long as I commit all I do to the Lord. HE will make my paths straight and show me the best way to go.

Actions~

Are there areas where you plunged into something that you now wish you had asked for God’s direction instead? Did you learn a lot from these situations?

Isn’t it such a joy and blessing to know we can commit things to the Lord and then trust He will show us the changes? Start committing your works to the Lord and see what a difference it makes. 

My God “in-box” looks similar to this.  I used an old card organizer and place slips of paper, index cards etc in it.  Each one is dated and I ask God to show me the perfect way. I periodically look at the papers and love seeing how He established my plans.

Pray~

Lord, I love how You show me the way and redirect my paths when I lean on You. May I be aware of ways You are working in my behalf.

Trusting in Him,

Becky