The week has not begun, but you're already making a list in your head. Work to do. People to call. A choice you wish you could put off. You may feel ready for some of it and unsure about the rest. You don't need to know how each day will turn out before you can talk to God. He hears you here, with the plans you have and the things you can't plan for. Let's hear a few words from Proverbs, then bring this new week to Him.

In Proverbs chapter three, verses five and six, the World English Bible says: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Trust does not mean we stop thinking or making plans. It means we don't have to act as if our view is the whole picture. We can ask God for help and listen to wise advice. A straight path is not a promise that every day will go as we want. There can still be hard news and delays. These words call us to turn toward God in all we do. That includes a big choice and a small act of care. We can seek His way in the next thing before us. We can start there, together, in prayer.

Dear God, here is the week ahead. You know the plans I have made and the things I have not worked out yet. Please guide me as I make choices. Help me be honest about what I know and what I need to learn. When I want a quick answer, help me give a choice the care it needs. Show me who I can ask for sound advice. Help me listen, even when that advice is hard to hear. Keep me from saying yes just to please someone. Help me choose what is good and right with a clear, kind heart.

Please help me care for the people I meet this week. Some will be glad to see me. Some may be hard for me to deal with. Help me speak with respect to both. Let me notice when someone needs a kind word or a little help. When I am busy, keep me from treating people as things in my way. Help me be fair at work and patient at home. If I speak too fast or hurt someone, help me own it and say I'm sorry. Give me the courage to make things right where I can.

I know there may be things I did not expect. A call may change my day. A task may take more time than I thought. When I feel that rush of stress, help me return to You. Show me what I can do now and what must wait. Help me ask for help before I take on too much. Please be near those whose week is full of grief, illness, or a hard change. Give them real care and people who will show up. Help me be one of those people when I can.

Help me notice the good in this week, too. A meal I enjoy. A friend who checks in. A bit of work that goes well. Let me give thanks without waiting for a perfect day. Help me make time for worship, for rest, and for the people I love. Remind me that I can turn to You at any time, not just when I am in trouble. You hear a short prayer on a busy day as surely as a long prayer in a quiet room. Thank You for being near through both. Help me be present for the day I am in. When I look too far ahead and miss the person beside me, bring my care back to what is here. Help me leave space in my plans to listen, to learn, and to do a good thing I had not planned.

Lord, I place these days in Your care. Help me trust You when I can see the next step and when I cannot. Teach me to seek Your way, to tell the truth, and to love the people before me. Please guide my words and the work of my hands. When this week feels too big, help me do the next good thing with You. Thank You that I do not have to face it alone. In Jesus' name, amen.