Introduction
Every one of us wants our life to move in the right direction. We all want to make good decisions, feel confident about where we’re headed, and know that the steps we’re taking actually matter.
And especially at the start of a new year, many of us begin thinking about plans — plans for our families, our finances, our work, and our future. The good news is that God cares about these things as well.
God cares about your marriage. He cares about your family. He cares about your finances. He cares about the decisions you’re facing right now. And the reason God cares is because He has a plan for your life.
But we don’t walk out God’s plan all at once — we walk it out step by step. Most of the time, God doesn’t reveal the whole picture. He invites us to trust Him with the next step. In fact, the best way to walk in God’s plan is to trust Him with your next step.
Today, I want us to look at what that looks like for our lives — how to walk out God’s plan, one step at a time.
Proverbs 16:9 — “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
1. Have a Plan
“The heart of man plans his way…”
One of the first things this verse tells us is that planning is normal. Planning is expected. Scripture assumes that we will plan. Throughout Proverbs, we see planning presented as wisdom, not a lack of faith.
Proverbs 21:5 — “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance…”
Proverbs 20:18 — “Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war, obtain guidance.”
Proverbs 24:7 — “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.”
Scripture consistently affirms that planning is wise.
You should have a plan for your life. You should have a plan for this year. You should have a plan for your family, your marriage, your finances, and your time. Plans help us move forward. Without a plan, we tend to drift. We react instead of respond, and we stay stuck instead of growing.
Planning doesn’t mean you’re trying to control everything. It simply means you’re being intentional with what God has given you. Plans help give direction. They help us take the next step instead of standing still.
You don’t have to rush it, and you don’t have to have it all figured out today. But you shouldn’t be afraid to plan. Take time to pray, think it through, and write it down — then begin moving in that direction.
Plans give shape to the vision and dreams God has placed in our hearts. They turn good intentions into purposeful steps. Scripture encourages us to plan, but it also reminds us that we don’t walk alone. While we plan the way, God is the one who establishes our steps.
2. Commit Your Ways to the Lord
Proverbs 16:3 — “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
To commit something means to place it into someone else’s care. It’s the idea of entrusting what matters to you into reliable hands.
In the Hebrew, the word commit comes from the word gālal, which carries the picture of rolling something onto something stronger. It literally means to roll a burden onto someone else.
When we commit our plans to the Lord, we are taking the weight of what we’ve been carrying and placing it onto God — not just the plan itself, but the right to have the final say in how that plan unfolds. So when we commit our plans to the Lord, we’re saying, “God, this is what I’m thinking — but I trust You more than my own understanding. I’ve prayed about this, thought it through, and now I’m placing it in Your hands.”
This is where prayer becomes part of the process. We don’t just ask God to bless what we’ve already decided. We invite Him into our planning. We ask for wisdom, clarity, and peace as we move forward.
Committing our ways to God means we stay open — open to His leadership, open to His guidance, open to His correction, and open to His timing.
3. God Directs Our Steps
“…but the Lord establishes his steps.”
This verse gives us a beautiful picture of the partnership between our responsibility and God’s guidance. We plan the way, we commit it to the Lord, and as we move forward, God establishes our steps.
The word steps doesn’t refer to the entire journey — it refers to individual steps, one foot in front of the other. God isn’t always focused on giving us the whole map. He’s focused on where our foot is about to land.
The word establishes means to make firm, to set in place, or to make secure. In other words, as we move forward, God steadies the ground beneath us. Before you set your foot down, God establishes that step exactly where it needs to go.
That’s encouraging, because it means God guides us while we’re moving, not only when we’re standing still. When we commit our way to Him through prayer, trust, and surrender, God aligns our direction. He confirms, adjusts, and strengthens us as we go.
Sometimes God affirms the plan and gives peace. Sometimes He gently redirects us. Sometimes He slows us down or opens a door we didn’t expect. But in every case, God is involved in the steps of those who trust Him.
This is why planning and movement matter. When we stay frozen, there are no steps to establish. But when we plan, pray, and move forward in faith, God is faithful to guide where our feet go. You don’t have to see the whole path — you just have to trust God with the step you’re about to take.
4. Trust God With Your Next Step
One of the greatest sources of anxiety in life is trying to see the whole picture. We want to know how everything will turn out. We want to know the end result before we take the first step. But God rarely works that way.
Most of the time, God doesn’t show us the whole plan. He shows us the step we’re on right now, and He asks us to trust Him with that. You don’t have to worry about ten steps down the road, and you don’t have to figure out how everything will come together. God hasn’t asked you to carry that weight.
Your responsibility is the next step.
God’s responsibility is the direction.
When the time comes for the next step after that, God will be faithful to guide you. Until then, we trust Him where we are.
Scripture reminds us of God’s heart in this process:
Proverbs 3:5–6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
God doesn’t promise to explain everything — He promises to lead us. When we trust Him and acknowledge Him, He directs the path. And we can trust Him because God has our best interest in mind.
Jeremiah 29:11 — “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope”
That doesn’t mean every step will be easy, but it does mean every step is purposeful. You may not see the whole picture, but you can trust the God who does.
When we plan, commit our ways to the Lord, trust Him to guide our steps, and take the next step in faith, we place ourselves exactly where God wants us.
Takeaways
- 1. Have a plan
- • Decide where in your life you want to see change or growth
- • Define what that growth or change looks like (spending more time with your spouse, saving more, beginning to tithe, reading your Bible, etc.)
- • Choose 1 or 2 small doable steps
- • Write it down
- 2. Commit your plans to the Lord
- • Pray over your plans and place them in God’s hands.
- • Invite God into your plans
- 3. Allow God to guide your steps
- • Move forward in faith and trust God to direct where your feet go
- 4. Trust God with your next step
- • You don’t need the whole picture — just take the step God has in front of you
