“I’m just not going to make plans for the new year,” my friend told me recently. “Nothing ever goes the way I want it to anyway—so why bother?”

This new year, you might be feeling the same way. Between the unfulfilled hopes from last year and the great unknowns of the coming year, making plans might feel futile. Each year comes with its own unique challenges, and there’s so much that we can’t control. For most of us, it takes just a few minutes of thinking back to all the plans we made that failed to send us spiraling into despair.

Whether you’re feeling discouraged about the new year or you’re eager to write down your New Year’s resolutions, the Bible offers wisdom.

God’s Word doesn’t forbid us from making plans. In fact, there are many biblical truths we can use to inspire our New Year’s resolutions. But Scripture does guide us in planning our futures by reminding us that God is in control. By resting in this truth, we can look to the future with hope, knowing that our heavenly Father will direct our steps and safeguard our hearts.

Before you start writing down resolutions for the new year, read these four Bible verses and ask God to help you trust him with all your plans.

When we’re making plans, we should remember that God is in control.

Now listen to me, you that say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to a certain city, where we will stay a year and go into business and make a lot of money.” You don’t even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears. What you should say is this: “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”

James 4:13-15 GNT

The Bible encourages us to seek wisdom and favor from God as we plan for the future.

Ask the LORD to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out.

Proverbs 16:3 GNT

When we’re facing difficult decisions, we can trust God to show us the right way.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the LORD in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.

Proverbs 3:5-6 GNT

Even though we cannot know what the future holds, we can trust that God’s plans for us are good.

As the scripture says,

“What no one ever saw or heard,
what no one ever thought could happen,
is the very thing God prepared for those who love him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 GNT