God Is in ControlSample

Day 4: Commit Your Way

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” —Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)

The right path isn’t always the easiest, but it is always the path God has marked out for you.

Some of us are born planners: vision boards, five-year strategies, color-coded calendars. There’s nothing wrong with that. God Himself is a God of order and purpose, and He gave us minds that can imagine and plan.

The problem begins when, somewhere between dreaming and doing, we start acting like the CEO of our own lives. We chart the course, set the goals, and then ask God to “sign off.” Scripture calls us to a different posture: In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Notice: in all your ways, not just the big decisions like career and marriage, but the small, ordinary choices too: how you speak in conflict, how you use a free afternoon, even your evening habits. God cares about it all because every choice shapes who you are becoming.

This doesn’t mean tossing your calendar and wandering aimlessly. That’s negligence, not faith. God invites you to plan, with open hands, ready for His redirection. Think of Abraham: God said, “Go to the land I will show you.” No address. No map. Abraham prepared, but God chose the destination.

When God promises to make your paths “straight,” He isn’t promising a road without bumps. The Hebrew word yashar means right, fitting, upright, not smooth. God’s way may lead through valleys that test your faith, hills that stretch your courage, and bends that slow your pace. But it will always be the right way.

“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall…” Psalm 37:23–24a (NIV)

Clinging tightly to your own agenda breeds exhaustion and frustration. Handing God the wheel brings the quiet confidence that you are exactly where you need to be, even when the next turn is hidden. Committing your way is not passive resignation; it’s one of the most active steps of faith you can take: staying close enough to hear His whispers, welcoming His course corrections, and trusting His heart when His plan isn’t yet clear.

Planning isn’t the problem. Believing you’re the ultimate manager of a life you’ve surrendered to Jesus is.

My Prayer:

Father, You direct my steps. I confess how tightly I hold to my own plans. Teach me to live with open hands, trusting that Your way is always better. Establish my steps and guide me in Your perfect will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reflect:

1. Which plans are you gripping most tightly right now? How might God be asking you to release them to Him?
2. How do you react when your plans are interrupted? What does that response reveal about where your trust rests?