There is a promise in a proverb that doesn’t mean what we want it to mean. The Proverb says, “Commit your works to the Lord And your plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3, NASB95) We often take this verse as a promise for success. If I commit my desire to God, then everything will come to pass. But that is far from the intent of the verse. Let’s take a closer look.
In all the IT projects I’ve been a part of, the plans always came before the work. Yet, here in this proverb, the work seems to be the focus, and the plans are the outcome. We often read and act like the Proverb is written as “commit your plans to the Lord, and your work will be established.” That would seem to be a more natural flow, so what is really going on here?
The very first word of the Proverb gives us a gigantic yet not-so-obvious clue. In Hebrew, “commit” is literally “roll.” Perhaps the best way to understand this is in terms of transference. For instance, a few years ago, we needed to move retirement funds from one kind of account to another type of account. (For USA readers, from a 401K to an IRA). That move is called a “rollover” and is a transference of funds from one account to another. The Proverb encourages folks to “roll” all of their activities from the account of self to the account of God. Or, to put it another way, from our kingdom to God’s reign and rule. Neither is this a narrow transfer, meaning only some work or some activity. It doesn’t say “commit the work.” It says “works.” Read another way, commit everything to the Lord.
There is a repeating cycle to be discovered in this verse. As we commit our works to the Lord, our plans change to become His plans, leading to more works. The outcome is that our plans are set in concrete. Not because we are brilliant strategists or wise tacticians, but because our desires are brought into line with God’s desires and plans.
James taught this as well. In his letter, he wrote, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:13–17, NASB95)
The point of the Proverb and James is for us to discover and follow God’s will in all things. That doesn’t mean just the religious stuff or the church stuff, but all stuff. In our personal choices, in our homes, at work, in business, at play, with friends, when alone, everywhere and everything.
As Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24–27, NASB95) This teaching shows the same progression of dedicated actions leading to foundational stability.
It may seem like an impossible task to “roll” everything over to God. They say that the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Start with something, one small bite, one seemingly insignificant habit or action. Then another, and another. Soon, “all” doesn’t seem so impossible. Pray about it.
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