Setting Spiritual Intentions

Some nights, the quiet makes our thoughts louder. We replay today, worry about tomorrow, and wonder if we’re doing enough—especially in seasons where responsibility feels tender and new. As a first-time mom with a newborn, the pressure to make the “right” choices can feel constant, especially in the middle-of-the-night moments when your mind won’t slow down.

But God invites us into something gentler than striving. He doesn’t demand perfection—He asks for surrender. Proverbs 16:3 reminds us that committing our plans to the Lord is less about having everything figured out and more about placing our intentions in His hands. It’s trusting that even if the plan changes, God’s purpose remains steady—and His timing is perfect.

Tonight, we can rest knowing that God is at work even while we sleep—ordering our steps, shaping our character, and establishing what’s ahead.

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” — Proverbs 16:3

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YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Dear God,
Tonight, we come before You with open hands and an open heart. Father, forgive us for the times we say we trust You but still try to carry everything on our own. We want to commit to You whatever we do—our plans, our hopes, our questions, and the things we don’t yet understand.

We release the pressure to have it all figured out, and we ask You to forgive us for relying on our desires more than on You. Teach us to trust that You are establishing Your perfect plans for our lives, even when what we see doesn’t look perfect right now. Align our hearts and intentions with Your will.

As we rest tonight, help us trust that You are already at work—ordering our steps, protecting our future, and preparing what’s ahead. We surrender everything in our hearts and minds to You. We place this season, this upcoming year, and our lives in Your hands.

In Your mighty name we pray,
Amen.

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THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. Surrender is not weakness—it’s trust in the God who holds tomorrow.

2. When you commit your plans to the Lord, you trade pressure for peace and striving for security.

3. God isn’t asking you to figure it all out—He’s asking you to hand it all over.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Life Audio.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Thank you for tuning in to your nightly Prayer, a
podcast designed to help you rest and connect with your
Father in heaven as the day ends, God is ready
to meet you in this moment of peace. As you
settle into sleep. After this short word from our sponsor,
we'll encounter tonight's devotional setting spiritual Intentions, written by Alicia

(00:31):
Hedley and read by your host, Brooke McLoughlin. Tonight's scripture
commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will
establish your plans Proverbs sixteen three something to ponder. Some nights,

(00:58):
our hearts feel heavy and our mind's full. As the
day comes to an end, it becomes full of all
of our hopes, questions, and a longing to know you're
walking in the right direction. You think about the day,
weeks and years ahead. I'm a first time mom with
a newborn at home, and already I wonder if I'm

(01:20):
doing enough and making all the best decisions for my daughter.
My mind, especially at night as I'm up with her,
is flooded with what's to come. In these moments, it's
easy to feel the pressure to plan better, try harder,
or resolved to be more tomorrow. I want to be

(01:41):
the best mother I can be for her. But God
invites us into something gentler, something more sacred and less striving.
Instead of demanding perfection, he asks for surrender. Instead of
rigid resolutions, he offers a relationship, And as we come
to him at night, tired, honest, and open, we're reminded

(02:06):
that we don't have to carry the weight of our
future alone. Tonight's scripture, Proverbs sixteen three tells us commit
to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish
your plans. This verse isn't a promise of ease. It's
an invitation to place our intentions, dreams, and decisions in

(02:30):
God's hands and believe that He knows what's best and
is working on things behind the scenes, even if we
don't see it. Setting spiritual intentions is committing it all
to the Lord. Our hopes, dreams, goals all to the
Lord with his will and mind, not our own. And

(02:53):
the best part is He doesn't need us to have
everything figured out before we come to him. He meets
us right where we are, uncertain, hopeful, weary, and worried.
When we surrender our plans, we're acknowledging that while we
can plan, God will order our steps, protect our paths,

(03:14):
and redirect us when necessary. Committing to the Lord and
surrendering is telling God our desires, but then choosing to
trust him with the outcome. It's trusting that even if
the plan changes, God's purpose still remains, His purpose remains steady,
and his timeline is always perfect. Part of committing to

(03:37):
the Lord and allowing him to establish his plans is
trusting his timeline. This can be difficult for some of us.
Patience is not always my best strong suit, but it's
a part of what committing our plans to the Lord
looks like. And sometimes God is more concerned with shaping
our character than speeding up our timeline. When we entrust

(04:02):
our intentions to him, we give him permission to refine, delay,
or completely rewrite the story, always for our good and
his glory. It's important to remember this when we're weary.
When we set spiritual intention, committing everything to his will
and not our own, we rest knowing that He is

(04:25):
actively at work even while we sleep. Let's try to
rest in that tonight your nightly prayer. Dear God, Tonight
we come before you with open hands and an open heart. Father,
we ask for your forgiveness for all the times we
have strived to do things our own way and say

(04:47):
we trust you, but then try to control everything on
our own. We want to commit to you whatever we
do all to you tonight. Our plans are hope, our questions,
and the things we don't yet understand. We release the
pressure to have it all figured out and ask you

(05:08):
to forgive us for being reliant on our own desires
more than on you. Teach us to trust that you
are establishing your perfect plans for our lives, even if
what we see doesn't look perfect Right now. Align our
hearts and our intentions to your heart and your will.
Please give us peace as we begin tonight by surrendering

(05:31):
control as we rest tonight, help us trust that you
are already at work, ordering our steps, protecting our future,
and preparing what's ahead. We choose to surrender everything in
our hearts and minds tonight. We place this season, this

(05:52):
upcoming year, and our lives in your hands. In your
mighty name, We pray amen, three things to meditate upon.
Number One, surrender is not weakness, it's trust in the
God who knows what tomorrow holds. Two, when you commit

(06:15):
your plans to the Lord. You trade pressure for peace
and striving for security. And number three, God is not
asking you to figure it all out, but to hand
it all over.

Speaker 1 (06:33):
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