A Different Direction

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” – James 4:14-15

What are your plans for today?

Are you willing to change them?

A man was hiking through the woods one day. He had decided it was a great day to walk down to an old pond he had frequented in his younger years. As he was walking, he crossed paths with another person. She suggested taking a different path. She told him she had lived in the area for decades, hiking the woods several times a week, and that she knew of a beautiful waterfall he could see if he took the other path.

What would you do?

Would you decide to stay on your current path or try the new one?

What if, instead of directing you to a waterfall, she had warned that the pond had mostly dried up and several venomous snakes had taken up residence there?

Would you change course?

Making Plans
We all make plans. We have things we want to accomplish and we make plans to be sure we accomplish them. In our passage for today, God has something to say about our planning.

Before we get to what God is saying, let’s clear up something He isn’t saying. Some people have used this passage to say we should never plan anything. We should just go with the spiritual flow if you will, and see what happens. That’s not what this telling us. First, notice that the conclusion is to say,

‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.“

That still implies planning. It’s just planning that looks to God both when we plan and as we carry out those plans to seek God’s will. There are plenty of Bible passages that speak to the wisdom of planning.

So, what is this passage saying? How do we plan?

Humble Yourself – Realize that as much as you think you know, you don’t know as much as God and you can’t see into the future. God can.
Pray When You Plan – Realizing that you don’t know everything, ask the one who does to guide you as you plan. Pray before you plan, while you plan, and after you plan.
Pray As You Put Your Plan Into Action – As you start to put your plans into action, stay in prayer. Ask God to bless your efforts and for wisdom to know if you need to change anything.
Be Willing To Change Course – Sometimes we don’t really listen to God as we plan well and God needs to correct us. However, it’s not necessarily that you didn’t listen. Sometimes God doesn’t reveal the whole plan all at once. Sometimes we need to be moved down the path we expect in order to find another path we didn’t know about, but to which God was leading us.
Thank And Praise God For Guiding You – Don’t forget God at the end of the plan. Pray again, thanking Him, and ask Him to continue to lead you.

Sometimes God leads up step by step.

I’ve had several times, where I thought I knew the full plan, but realized soon into the plan that God had guided me to the first part, but I had filled in the rest. So, after the first step or two, God sent something to change my path. Maybe it was a person I didn’t expect to meet that led to a conversation or some different way of doing something which I couldn’t have even conceived of earlier.

The point is, don’t be so committed to the plan, that you aren’t open to God’s leading while you enact the plan. He may have something amazing in store if you are willing to follow.

Heavenly Father,

Guide me as I plan my days. Then, open my eyes to see where You lead me as I walk. Help me to be flexible enough to take a detour when you lead me to it. Bless my efforts that I may follow Your will, You would be glorified, and others would be blessed through me.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

A Different Direction

Faith Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, FL serving Lutz, Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes, and New Tampa, FL