“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (16:9). Long term planning is sometimes necessary, but often quite pointless. I don’t mean wise retirement planning or good business planning. I mean planning how your life is going to work out; I mean planning on who you are going to be and what you are going to achieve in life. You can make plans, and in many cases we must plan, as when we are choosing career paths or university courses. But, when you do make plans, you should hold them openhandedly. Only God knows you and only he knows the potential that he has put in you. I am not a botanist, so if you showed me a number of different types of seeds, I would have no idea what they will look like when they turn into fully mature plants. In the same way none of us knows exactly what potential God has put in us and what fruit our lives may bear. We must therefore entrust our lives to him and let him bring us to maturity. I had plans when I left school many years ago, but when I committed my life to God, he led me down paths I would never have imagined in my plans. God has been bringing out my potential in ways I could not have foreseen. All I saw back then was the seed. But God saw the whole plant. He is the gardener and only he can be trusted with our lives. No matter how old you are, there is still unrealised potential in your life. Let the LORD determine your steps.
Ask God to continue to bring out your potential.
Read Proverbs 16:9-17
