Proverbs Chapter 16

Proverbs 16:3 (ESV)
"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."

When I attended Bible College way back in the late 70's I was surrounded by young men very much like myself. We fervently desired to serve the Lord. We were diligently studying to be able to fulfill what we believed to be God’s call in our lives to preach or serve Him in some "full-time" capacity. The desire to serve God was there in great measure. Fervor and sincerity were in abundance. But there were questions that seemed to naturally go hand-in-hand with this calling, desire, fervor and sincerity. "Where does God want me to serve?" "Where does He want me to fulfill His plan in my life?" "Where am I supposed to go with all my knowledge and training?" "When can I get started?" I am not knocking these questions. They are necessary questions that eventually need to be answered. But here is the problem I saw much too often.... Many were focused so strongly on trying to find answers to these questions that they did little to joyfully serve God right where they were. I dare say things are probably not much different in Bible Colleges today. In fact, I would say this is true of Christians throughout the Body of Christ. We often get so focused on finding God’s plan for us tomorrow that we neglect to do His work today. This is in direct contradiction to the truth in Proverbs 16:3.

Solomon tells us first to commit our work to the Lord. Then he says that our plans will be established. The root idea of the word used here for "commit" is "to roll". It is used most often in the OT for "to roll a stone". So we are to "roll" our work unto or upon the Lord. Closely tied to this idea of "commit" or "roll the stone" is trust. In Psalm 37:5 David says, "Commit (same word as in Prov 16:3) your way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." We trust in Him to provide a way that is smooth enough for our stone to roll. That’s not to say it will be smooth like a gym floor but it will always be smooth enough. The way may be uphill. It may be downhill. There may be bumps and twists and turns in the road but His way is always "stone ready". We commit to roll our stone upon Him, and He establishes the plan or direction for the rolling of our stone. We trust in Him to prepare a path for our stone and He will remove the obstacles, lead us around the obstacles or give us strength to push right on through the obstacles. He has a plan for us and it is a good plan. But often that plan is revealed a section at a time. We see the next turn, the next mountain top, the next long valley or the next rest stop. His plan is always appropriate for the stone He gives us to roll.
If you are struggling with knowing His plan for your life I encourage you trust Him enough today to do the tasks He has for you. Commit to serve Him today. Do His will today. Then He will establish your plans. Walk with Him step by step, valley after hill and obstacle after obstacle. Start "rolling your stone" today and see where He rolls it. I am confident you will not be disappointed!