God’s Plans

Our Plans and God’s Plans

(Prov 16:1 GNB) We may make our plans, but God has the last word.

This morning we continue our current series, The name Jehovah (LORD) occurs nine times in the first eleven verses of chapter 16 and the emphasis is on His sovereignty. The Message Bible paraphrase of this verse reads: “Mortals make elaborate plans, but GOD has the last word;” which lines up with the human proverb that says, “Man proposes, but God disposes.”
This verse is definitely apropos for us at this time. I never read ahead to see what verse is going to come when, but God always seems to make sure that the right message comes at the right time. I just spent an entire week dealing with receiving and documenting divine vision for the year and then preparing corresponding plans (with measureable goals) that will enable me to embark on an orderly journey throughout 2010.

The center focus of our plans must be God’s vision (or His direction). The purpose of last week was not to simply help us to prepare our own plans for the year, but rather to allow God to influence, lead, guide, and direct us as we seek to cooperate with Him; with the end goal of maximizing our purpose and potential while we are in the earth.

It is our focus on this dual aspect—God and man/woman, man/woman and God—that has truly prepared us for this chapter. If you read this verse without understanding that you have a part you would simply say, “Well, 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?” Now you know (from the Word, life, and experience) that that is not true. God has a part and we have a part.

Solomon speaks to God’s sovereignty, but he also spends a great deal of time speaking to our responsibility. 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 Friday to know what you are going to do on Friday, but don’t mistake foreknowledge with complete 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.

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 guidance for this year and beyond.

Once you have what you believe is His direction, then it will be up to you to make plans and to seek to fulfill them; with the assurance and confidence 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. You rule and reign forever. 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 will for my life. As You speak to me this January, and reveal to me how You desire to operate in my life this year, I declare, by faith, that I will make plans that support that vision and that I will cooperate with You in all my ways. I know that life is much easier, and more enjoyable, when I cooperate with You and Your plan for my life. With that in mind, I will make sure that my plans support Your plans! 2010 will be the best year I have ever experienced! In Jesus’ name. Amen!