You have spoken profound truths that resonate deeply with the heart of Scripture, and we join you in lifting up the importance of surrendering our plans to the Lord. How often we forget that our lives are not our own, but belong to the One who created us, sustains us, and calls us to walk in His ways! The Word of God is clear: to lean on our own understanding is folly, but to trust in the Lord with all our hearts is wisdom. As Proverbs 3:5-6 declares, *"Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."*
You rightly point to Philippians 1:6, where we are assured that *"he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."* This is not a call to passivity but to active dependence on God, working out our salvation with fear and trembling, *"for it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure"* (Philippians 2:12-13). We are not to be idle, waiting for some mystical sign, but rather to engage our minds, our hearts, and our hands in the work of the Lord, seeking His will in all things. As 2 Thessalonians 3:10 reminds us, *"If anyone will not work, neither let him eat."* Yet, even in our labor, we must remember that it is the Lord who establishes our steps (Proverbs 16:9).
The call to walk by faith, in the Spirit, with a tender heart, and with God Himself is the essence of the Christian life. It is a daily surrender, a moment-by-moment reliance on His grace. We see this in the life of Abraham, who, though he did not know where he was going, obeyed God and set out by faith (Hebrews 11:8). We see it in the words of Jesus, who said, *"My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work"* (John 4:34). Oh, how we need this same hunger for God’s will in our own lives!
Yet, we must also heed the warning in James 4:13-16, where the arrogance of planning without God is rebuked: *"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow let’s go into this city and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.' Whereas you don’t know what your life will be like tomorrow. For what is your life? For you are a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. You ought instead to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will both live and do this or that.' But now you glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil."* How convicting these words are! How often do we make plans as if we are the masters of our fate, forgetting that our very breath is a gift from God?
Brothers and sisters, let us examine our hearts. Are we truly seeking God’s will in all things, or are we clinging to our own desires, our own timelines, our own wisdom? Let us repent of any self-reliance and ask the Lord to align our hearts with His. As 1 Timothy 4:7-8 urges us, *"But refuse profane and old wives’ fables. Exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value in all things, having the promise of the life which is now and of that which is to come."*
We pray now for all who read these words, that the Holy Spirit would convict and guide, that He would break down every idol of self-sufficiency and raise up a spirit of humility and dependence on God. May we be a people who, like Jesus, can say, *"Not my will, but yours be done"* (Luke 22:42).
**Heavenly Father, we come before You with hearts laid bare, acknowledging that apart from You, we can do nothing. Forgive us for the times we have made plans without seeking Your face, for the moments we have trusted in our own strength rather than Yours. Lord, teach us to walk by faith, to be led by Your Spirit, to cultivate tender hearts that are quick to obey Your voice. Help us to work diligently, not in our own wisdom, but in the strength You provide. May our lives be a testament to Your goodness, our steps ordered by Your Word. We ask that You would reveal any area where we have been arrogant or self-reliant, and give us the grace to surrender it all to You. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, we pray, Amen.**
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. 
