Day 4 of 7, a study on trusting God with your money.
I've built enough spreadsheets this year to know my own math fairly well. Withdrawal rates, inflation assumptions, the year Social Security kicks in. I'm not bad at this. That's actually part of the problem, if I'm honest, because being decent at the math makes it tempting to lean my whole weight on it.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6
Solomon isn't telling me to stop using my understanding. He gave me the understanding in the first place; it would be strange for him to tell me to throw it out. He's telling me where to lean, which is a different question than what to use. I can use the spreadsheet and still lean on God for the parts the spreadsheet was never built to handle: how long I'll live, what the market will do, whether my health holds.
The math gets to inform the plan. It doesn't get to hold my whole weight.
Today's Question
What's one number in your plan you've been leaning on instead of just using?
A Short Prayer
Lord, thank you for the mind to do the math. Keep me from leaning my whole weight on it instead of on you. Make my paths straight where the numbers run out. Amen.
God bless,
Paul