Planning with Prayer

Making Moves...Backwards?

The new year is hours away and many of us already have plans and goals outlined for 2025. Planning focuses our efforts and resources and will guide the way we navigate the coming months. Importantly, this question came to me even as I started to create my own plans...."Am I planning with prayer?" Truthfully, I was not completely doing so and I wondered how many others were doing the same? Well-intentioned ideas, plans and strategies without directly consulting God first is making moves in reverse- living life backwards.

(Image Credit : Iga Palacz)

Prayerful Foundations

Let us use prayer as the foundational basis for our plans. Prayer and meditation are powerful tools in the planning process. With these practices, we consciously 'include' God from the very outset of our plans. Engaging in prayer before we develop our plans shows humility. It reflects a conscious understanding that God's plans, will and purposes will prevail and must be at the heart of our intentions. "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails."- Proverbs 19:21.

(Image Credit - Diana Simumpande)

Why Should We Plan with Prayer?

If we really intend for our plans to come to fruition, then their best chances of success, are being in alignment with God's purposes.

This is where prayer becomes such a powerful tool.

We can pray to:

• Seek God's guidance and wisdom to stay in alignment with his will (James 1:5)

• Seek God's help (Psalm 46:1)

• Get clarity regarding our vision, strategies and the needed resources (Proverbs 3: 5-6)

• Seek access open doors and abundant resources (Philippians 4:19; Malachi 3:10)

• Receive instructions as to next steps (Psalm 25:4-5)

• Receive divine confirmation about our choices (Isaiah 55:8-9)

• Bless and establish the works of our hands and anchor our plans (Psalm 90:17)

• Practice humility in surrender to His will if his plans are different from ours (Proverbs 16:9)

• Cultivate a spirit of obedience to follow his directions (John 14:15)

• Build up our strength to take action and build our commitment to endure (Isaiah 41:10)

• Remove the hindering spirits of doubt and fear (2 Timothy 1:7)

• Seek forgiveness for ourselves and others when things do not go as planned (Psalm 130:3-4)

• Seek protection from any and all destructive forces set specifically to destroy our plans.(Psalm 121:7-8)

Bordering on Arrogance

Prayerless planning, especially around important areas of our lives is bordering on arrogance. To exclude the God who knew the end from the beginning, to whom the whole earth belongs, the one true source - has to be an unwise move.

Prayerfulness- A Lifestyle

Let us make prayerfulness a lifestyle, a core part of our identity. Let us make prayer one of our first action steps as we plan, make revisions and take steps forward. Prayer is a powerful tool, engage it properly, engage it often, engage it everytime you plan.

Happy New Year to you all, thank you and let's continue to grow together in 2025.

Light & Blessings,

Catique