Several weeks ago I raised the question of God’s sovereignty. I’m sure we all agree that God is sovereign. But does that preclude the need for planning? Does it make planning a waste of our time? Certainly God has a plan. Certainly Jesus endorsed the concept. As one reads through the Bible, there seems to be quite a bit of it going on.
We have to address this issue because I am confident that somebody out there is thinking about these three key passages.
James 4:13-16 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. (NAS)
Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (NAS)
Prov 16:9 The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. (NAS)
What should we do with these passages? Are they telling us not to plan, that it’s foolish to plan? Are they telling us it’s a waste of our time? Should we just sit back and wait for the Lord to act and life to happen?
Frankly, I think these passages make the case for planning. It sounds to me like God is saying the following:
1. Be aware. Recognize that your life is uncertain and short. You don’t know when it will end.
2. I want you to depend on Me. Don’t be presumptuous. I’m in charge, not you. Only I have the power to carry out your plans.
3. Be sure to include Me in your planning. Consult Me. I know the beginning from the end. Make sure you are in My will and I will be in your plans.
4. It’s OK (desirable/a good idea) to make plans. Just remember, I’m the one who will determine their outcome.
What do you think? Am I all wet? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
So, ARE YOU READY FOR SOME – no not football.
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME PLANNING?? Don’t be frightened. It’s not hard. It will take some work but it’s not rocket science. It’s very straight forward. It will take some courage on your part and it will probably require some changes in the way you think about things.