Taking Time to Plan: 3 biblical promises for those who plan

I love back-to-school season. I resonate with Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan’s character) from the movie You’ve Got Mail when she says,

“Don’t you just love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies.”

My children are now grown and I no longer need to take the annual school shopping trip to buy all the fun pens, pencils, folders, notebooks, etc. … but I still want to. There’s just something about a good pen that makes my heart smile. And don’t even get me started on that new highlighter smell.

It’s been a few years now with no school-aged children in my house, but my schedules and routines still gravitate toward operating alongside the school calendar. The beginning of August has become a time of reset and planning for the “year” ahead–at least for the next nine or ten months. The hazy, lazy days of summer are over and it’s time once again to get down to business. I dust off my planner and think through new routines, goals, and to-do lists I want to accomplish.

To me, planning is exhilarating, but I recognize that not everyone enjoys it, and some don’t take the time to plan at all. Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, God calls each of us to at least do some planning. Consider the following verses:

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5

“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” Luke 14:28

“Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:16

According to these Scriptures, taking the time to plan: 1) leads to abundance

2) assures that we have ample resources

3) grants us a heart of wisdom in these evil days.

What incredible promises! Of course, we do need to be careful, though, to seek the Lord when sitting down with our planners, or even simple tasks lists. Inviting God into our schedules, routines and lists helps to ensure that we will indeed make the best use of our time. Proverbs 16:9 reminds us that, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” 

Feel free to pray with me:

Heavenly Father, thank you for each and every day that you bless me with. May I never take for granted Your gift of life. Help me to surrender my plans, routines and tasks to You each day. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit, enabling me to make the most of my time in these evil days. Show me the areas in my planning that I am not entrusting to You, or where I am putting my own plans before Yours. 

I trust Your promises that when I take the time to plan, and commit those plans to You, they will lead to abundance, sufficient resources and wisdom. Thank you for these wonderful gifts. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.