God’s Plans
Proverbs 16:1-2 TPT
1 Go ahead and make all the plans you want, but it’s the Lord who will ultimately direct your steps. 2 We are all in love with our own opinions, convinced they’re correct. But the Lord is in the midst of us, testing and probing our every motive.
How many times in life, as sheer mortals, we get running forward, full steam ahead, making our own plans? I’ve done it many times. Then when things don’t go the way I had imagined they would go, I slow down to contemplate what happened. For example, I had completed the first leg of my journey in my studies for the ministry. I was in the season of having my babies, and there had always been this spot in me that wanted to become a criminal lawyer. I know, I know, that wasn’t in the heart of God for me. Yet, I signed up at the University of Maine, got my schedule and decided I was going to give it everything I had. There was just one problem—every class that was scheduled for me got changed. And heres the kicker. I had specifically asked the head office to notify me if a class got changed after this happened the first time. Yet, I was getting no calls. Finally, I woke up to the fact that maybe, just maybe, God didn’t want me in that field as a career option. So, I put out to the Lord, “Lord, if you definitely don’t want me pursuing this matriculation, then let the next scheduled class be changed again.” Sure enough, I’m walking down the hall of the university to go to my class and I could hear my professor ending the class. There it was. Here was the fullness of what God was saying to me. “Meredith, you can make your plans if you want, but it will be Me who will ultimately direct your steps. You’ve been in love with your own opinions about what you wanted to do. You were so convinced they were correct. But I am in your midst, testing and probing your every motive.” Needless to say, I did an about face, marching myself out the door, never to return to that pursuit of law again.
Proverbs 16:3-4a TPT tells us, “Before you do anything, put your trust totally in God and not in yourself. Then every plan you make will succeed. 4 The Lord works everything together to accomplish His purpose.”
God knew the complete plan. I did not. Now that many years of my life have passed and He has taken me to the nations, allowing me to share the Good News of His great love with them, I am so glad He was the One with the ultimate plan for my life and not me trying to maneuver my way on my own opinions.
We can totally trust Him. Share every part of your heart with Him, every thought, every concern. He knows and understands. Wait on Him to give you clear direction and then once He has given it to you, trust and follow Him completely, for His plans are full of grace, unconditional love and care along the journey and great excitement and joy as they unfold day by day for you.
What about you? Are you trying to move forward stubbornly with some plan that God may not want you to do? Are you yielded or determined to do your own thing? Take some time with Him today. Share your heart. Listen for His Voice and watch to see Him move as you lay it all down before Him.
