“The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.”
What are your plans for this weekend?
There’s nothing wrong with making plans.
In fact, it’s usually a sign of wisdom. We mark dates on the calendar, save for the future, prepare for retirement, plan vacations, organize projects, set goals for our families and the list goes on. Life would be difficult without planning.
Proverbs doesn’t discourage any of that.
Instead, it reminds us that there is a difference between making plans and believing we’re in control.
Most of us have experienced the moment when carefully laid plans suddenly unraveled.
Looking back, we can often see that those moments changed the course of our lives.
Sometimes it’s for the better and sometimes it’s through painful seasons we never would have chosen.
Proverbs invites us to hold our plans with open hands.
“The heart of man plans his way…”
That’s good. We should think ahead and prepare. We should use the wisdom God has given us.
“But the Lord establishes his steps.”
That doesn’t mean God merely reacts to our decisions. It means He is actively at work, guiding the lives of His people according to His perfect wisdom. He sees what we cannot. He knows what tomorrow holds long before tomorrow arrives.
That truth can be frustrating when our plans don’t succeed.
It can also be deeply comforting.
If every good thing depended on our ability to make perfect decisions, we would have reason to worry. But our future ultimately rests in the hands of a Father whose wisdom is far greater than our own.
This proverb doesn’t call us to stop planning.
It calls us
And to trust that even when life takes an unexpected turn, He has not abandoned us.
I love the way James puts it:
“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”” – James 4:13-15
One of the greatest examples of this is found in the life of Joseph. His brothers planned evil against him when they sold him into slavery. Joseph certainly hadn’t planned to be enslaved or spend years in prison (unjustly). Yet through those events, God was establishing every step, ultimately using Joseph to save countless lives during a famine.
God’s plans may or may not be larger than our own, but they are wiser and usually accomplish things we never even considered.
Today, make your plans.
Then entrust them to the One who already knows where each step will lead.
Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for giving me the ability to think ahead and make plans. Help me to do so with wisdom and humility, remembering that You alone know the future. When my plans change or my expectations are disappointed, keep me from becoming discouraged or fearful. Teach me to trust that You are guiding my steps, even when I cannot see where the path is leading. Give me confidence in Your wisdom and peace in Your loving care. Through Jesus Christ, my Lord.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
