“To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.” – Proverbs 16:1
Years ago I went shopping for a basic, inexpensive computer desk. So I went to K-mart and bought the cheapest model they sold, brought it home, and began assembling it. Things were going along smoothly. I got about halfway through the assembly and suddenly I was stymied. Several of the screws were missing, and a few others weren’t fitting the holes that had been pre-drilled for the sliding drawers. After about 45 minutes of disassembling and reassembling, I once again ran into the same problem.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the desk’s model number displayed on the outside of the box didn’t match the model number on the assembly sheet inside the box. Someone at the manufacturing plant clearly wasn’t paying attention and it cost me a lot of time and frustration.
All because someone wasn’t on the same page…
The same thing can happen in life if I’m not careful. Except I’m the one who’s not on the same page.
The final outcome of the plans we make is in God’s hands. So why make plans? It’s important to plan according to God’s will; He doesn’t want us walking blindly and purposely each day. But there must be a partnership between our efforts and His ultimate control. Otherwise we are sure to be frustrated!
God wants us to think, He wants us to seek counsel from other believers, and to plan accordingly. This is all part of living out our plan in a way that is obedient to Him and puts Him first.
And sometimes, despite our best efforts, things don’t work out the way we plan. But just because something didn’t work out the way we wanted it to doesn’t mean that it didn’t work out the way God wanted it to. God’s plans will not be frustrated by man!
And lastly, God is in charge of the final outcome. Not us!
Questions to Consider:
- Are my plans on the same page as God’s plans for me?
- How often do I ask God to help me in my planning?
- Do I have a spirit of cooperation with God, or do I assume total control?
Thought for the day:
Put God in charge of your planning committee.
Former Blackout Artist 