OWC 2026 Devotional | Week 3, Day 6

GOD, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR ME?

Have you ever known anyone who picks and chooses which parts of the plan to follow? Maybe they like to skip steps or add unnecessary ones? When we don’t keep our eyes on the GPS or skip exits or turns, we tend to end up lost. When we skip steps in the instructions, we end up with wobbly furniture.  

Plans are best accomplished when they’re fully followed. This can be tricky to apply to our faith because we can drift into making our faith legalistic and rule following. The truth is, the Bible does have commandments to follow and principles to cling to. We should embrace these commandments and principles, while always embracing being in the presence of the Lord. Scripture does give us many principles to apply to our lives: financial principles, relational principles, sexual principles, marriage principles, and parenting principles. These principles are provided not because God loves making rules and seeing who does and does not follow them; God provides the principles for our benefit. Because we want direction, we want truth, and we want… a plan. These principles bring the most health, peace, and blessing into our lives, and these principles become most desirable to us if we fully trust the One who provided them.  

Read 1 Samuel 2:12-36 

The sons of Eli had very clear instructions on how to live and lead as priests; however, they just chose not to follow the plan. They added in what they liked, took out what they didn’t, and caused great damage to themselves, their family, their calling, and their nation through their disobedience. Up to this point, revelation from God to the people came through the priests, but God was now creating a new way, through prophets, and His plan began with a three-year-old boy whose faith-filled mother had dedicated him to the service of the Lord. Verse 18 says Samuel served in the presence of the Lord, and verse 21 says he grew up in the presence of the Lord. Samuel obviously wasn’t picked because of his performance; he was a young boy not yet entrusted with responsibilities. He was entrusted because his preference was for God’s presence, which grew him into a man who was faithful in living out God’s principles.  

As we desire to know God’s plan for our life and seek Him in our decisions, let’s never neglect the principles He’s provided in scripture and the blessing of His presence.  

• What have you believed about following God’s principles and embracing His presence as you seek His plan for your life? 

• What is God revealing to you about following God’s principles and embracing His presence as you seek His plan for your life?