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- 🙏 More choices seem promising, until you have to choose. Proverbs 16:3
🙏 More choices seem promising, until you have to choose. Proverbs 16:3
(2 min read) Proverb of the day visualized
Erick Vargas
April 16, 2023
Good Morning 🙏
This is Proverb Pic, the daily devotional newsletter that helps Christians become wiser in 2 minutes a day.
Proverb of the day
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
Proverb Pic
Meditation
This proverb highlights how we can alleviate anxiety when faced with important decisions. At first glance, Proverbs 16:3 seems to suggest that we should pray, "Oh Lord, bless my plans! Let them succeed!" and He will fulfill our desires. However, the scripture does not instruct us to "commit your plans to the Lord," but rather, "commit to the Lord - whatever you do." The term "commit" signifies putting all our weight and trust onto something. In this context, the proverb encourages us to unconditionally obey and trust God in every aspect of our lives.
The proverb implies that there are two types of people: those who begin with their plans and those who begin with a commitment to the Lord. The former has their hearts set on their goals and use God to achieve them. When we start with the many opportunities that life can present us, it can cause anxiety of choice. This has been called the paralyzing paradox, where we become stuck due to the overwhelming number of options and the inability to determine the best choice. The reality is that there may be many good options are available, and no single path is necessarily superior to another.
On the other hand, those who start with a commitment to the Lord have their hearts set on God in any pursuit they choose. This frees them from the false pressure of making the theoretically best choice. The true meaning of the verse is a call to fully commit ourselves to God, placing our trust in Him and seeking His guidance in every aspect of our lives. Instead of focusing solely on the outcome of our plans, we should concentrate on strengthening our relationship with God and being receptive to His direction. Thus, in whichever choice we make, we gain God's guidance. By fully committing ourselves to the Lord, we gradually become individuals capable of creating wise and pragmatic plans. Trusting God allows both our good and bad experiences to shape us into people who make increasingly wiser plans and decisions over time.
Take, for example, Joseph, who transformed into a wise leader capable of saving Egypt and his family. Despite being sold into slavery and unjustly imprisoned, his unwavering trust in God allowed him to grow into the wise man he eventually became. Or consider the paralyzing paradox in the case of a struggling entrepreneur. They may pray for their business plans to succeed, but instead of asking God to bless their plans, they should commit their entire entrepreneurial journey to God's guidance. By doing so, they will learn valuable lessons and develop the character and wisdom needed to make better decisions in the future, increasing their chances of a successful and fulfilling venture.
At the end of the day, there may always be a "better" option out there, but maybe not. However, one way to ensure a bad outcome is to be too afraid and paralyzed by the abundance of options, halting all progress. We can find the freedom to move forward because God doesn't necessarily care specifically about what you do. He cares about who you are becoming in all that you do.
Prayer
Lord, help me to pursue you in every and any decision I make. Because you are with me in every decision, I will get what I want in life, to be closer to you.
Application question
What choice have you been avoiding that you can make today?
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