Your Plans and God's Plan

(Prov 19:21 ) A man may have many plans in his heart. But the LORD's purpose wins out in the end.

This morning we continue in the book of Proverbs. Here Solomon contrasts the constantly shifting purposes of man with the unchanging and righteous purposes of Jehovah. Back in chapter 16 Solomon said, "Mortals make elaborate plans, but GOD has the last word" (v.1) and "We plan the way we want to live, but only GOD makes us able to live it" (v.9).

This reminds me that we started out this year with teachings on receiving God-given vision and laying out the vision as the ruler by which we would judge our decisions for the year. This vision should inform our plans. I am a planner, I believe in planning, and I believe God's Word teaches us that we must be deliberate in our pursuit of purpose (which will include planning) if we are going to arrive at God's desired destination for our lives. However, when someone reads verses like these they often think, "If the final outcome is in God's hands anyway, then why plan? Why pray if God is going to do what He wants to do in the end? Why seek His direction if we are puppets and He is the puppeteer?" You should know by now - from God's Word and life experiences - that that is not true. God has a part and we have a part.

In this verse Solomon speaks to God's sovereignty, but in this book he has also gone to great lengths to highlight our responsibilities in God's plans. God's sovereignty does not alleviate us of the weight of our decisions, but rather adds on us the additional task of seeking God's will and of aligning our decisions with it.

Jehovah's sovereignty is tied to His foreknowledge. Of course, God does not have to wait until Monday to know what you are going to do on Monday, but don't mistake foreknowledge with absolute predestination. You and I are free morale agents and Jehovah, in all His sovereignty, will let us fail, if we choose to. He will watch on the sidelines as we go astray, if that is our choice. As a loving Father and reigning Lord He will send people our way to help get us back on track, and He will make every attempt to speak to us directly by His Spirit, but if at the end of the day we stubbornly choose to walk in disobedience, He will allow us, albeit painfully, to reap what we sow. So herein lies the partnership Jehovah seeks. He wants to reveal His plans and purposes to us, SO THAT we could align our decisions and actions accordingly. If we do, we will experience God's best. It basically comes down to is this: our plans will not experience Godly success, unless they line up with God's plans and purposes, which are unchangeable. While man's plans are constantly wavering and are often absurd and unjust, God's plans are wise, holy, steady and uniform. And thankfully, God's plans can never be frustrated by the shiftiness of ours. The Bible in Basic English translation of this verse brings this out well; it reads: "A man's heart may be full of designs, but the purpose of the Lord is unchanging."

So what does this mean to you? It means that you owe it to yourself, your family, and your future to seek God - in His sovereign wisdom and eternal love - for continual guidance. Once you have what you believe is His direction, then it will be up to you to make plans and to put in the work required to fulfill them; with the assurance of knowing that where He leads, He feeds and where He guides, He provides!

Father, I know that ultimately You will have the last Word. The shiftiness of my plans will not force You to change Yours. You sit on the circle of the earth. You are infinite, eternal, and completely sovereign. It is Your sovereign wisdom that I seek. I know that You will allow me to reap whatever I sow, so therefore I want to make sound decisions; decisions that line up with Your Word and will for my life. As You reveal to me Your purposes for my life, I declare by faith, that I will line up my plans with them. Life is much easier, and more enjoyable, when I cooperate with You and Your plans for my life. With that in mind, I will make sure that my plans support Your plans! I am excited about today, this year, and the rest of my life, because I know I will be walking with You and You will be walking with me! In Jesus' name, Amen!