“Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3
A new year means a new calendar. It might be on your phone, in a planner, sitting on your desk, or hanging in your kitchen. But in January 2026, whatever format it is in, that calendar is looking fresh. All the blank spaces yearn to be filled!
And man, we do a great job with that, don’t we?
Let me confess one of the things the Lord is working on right now in me: a full calendar isn’t the same as a faithful life.
I can fill my time with any manner of things to keep busy and fool myself, and probably others as well, into thinking that I’m being diligent doing work for God’s kingdom. But proper stewardship of the time that God has gifted us is not about doing more, but obediently doing what God has assigned.
If we’re not careful, Proverbs 16:3 could easily be misread to mean as long as we pray about how we fill our time, God will certainly give us the green light to do what we’d like. We might think of Him as no more than a divine rubber-stamp approver, looking only for glaring violations of poorly used time.
But what that Scripture actually means is that when we commit our work, entrusting our plans, efforts, and goals, to the Lord, we acknowledge His guidance and authority over those calendar squares rather than relying purely on ourselves. It is after this essential step that our plans will be established, becoming clearer, steadier, and more firmly directed by the God who made time and who has graciously given it to us.
In short, our time is rightly stewarded when it’s entrusted to Him.
So how do we entrust our plans to the Lord? We allow Him to set our priorities, pushing back on unnecessary pressure we place on ourselves. We seek to value fruitfulness over fullness. Sometimes we say no, knowing we’re disappointing someone. Sometimes we say yes, knowing it will require sacrifice and selflessness.
A blank calendar is an invitation. Each square is an opportunity to trust God, to ask, “Lord, is this what You’re calling me to?” Faithful stewardship of time doesn’t mean every moment is productive by the world’s standards. It means our moments are surrendered to the Lord alone.
Prayer: Gracious Father, help me to remember that time is a resource that only You have total control of. I pray that I can commit the time you give me during 2026 to You and Your purposes for me. As opportunities to fill my time this year arise, I pray I would come to You for guidance that I might spend my time wisely instead of foolishly. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Want More?
Read Mark 1:32–39. Write an order of events showing how Jesus spent the time between sundown of the first day to where He went after Simon spoke to Him. When Simon says, “Everyone is looking for you,” what action was he implying Jesus should take? What did Jesus do instead? How can Jesus be an example to you on how to spend your time fruitfully and wisely?
