Trusting God’s Unchanging Plans
Trusting in God’s Unchanging Plans When My Plans Are Always Changing
How many times over the course of a day, a week, a moment, and a year do your plans change? If we’re honest, they change everyday! Over the course of these past two years, I encouraged our students that essentially every major plan I made for my life has gone differently than what I planned. I have learned very quickly through my own experience that I make many plans, and very few of those plans come to fruition.
I am so thankful for the moments where God reminds us who is sovereign and in control. What treasure of wisdom does the Scripture give us in these words: “Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail.” (Proverbs 19:21)
I make many plans, but God’s decrees will prevail over my plans. What does this teach us? It reminds us to be open-handed planners and always expectant of change. There is nothing wrong with making plans, except when they don’t acknowledge God’s sovereignty.
When God makes a decree, it is something that will come to pass. There is no negotiation. As much as that may sound like discouragement to us, it’s meant to be encouragement! What God plans and says will happen will always and absolutely come to pass. It gives a reason to humble ourselves and cling to God’s trustworthiness.
Isaiah wrote, “The LORD of Armies himself has planned it; therefore, who can stand in its way?” (Isaiah 14:27)
What is God’s plan? Consider the story of Scripture. God created the world and a people for himself. These people lived for themselves rather than for him, this brought sin and death into the world that people over all of human history were unable to overcome, whether God wrote his commands on tablets of stone or one the tablets of a human heart. While helping humanity to understand their incapability to be righteous, God provided a way out by becoming a person and living the exact opposite of the rest of humanity, taking the punishment of sin upon himself, and defeating death in order to set free those who trust in Him. As God rescues people, he calls them to tell the entire world around them how Jesus Christ has made them new until God makes all things new and all things right so that His people who submit to the Lion of Judah and trust in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God will be with him and experience Him FOREVER and EVER. AMEN!
What is the greatest way to approach life considering how trustworthy God’s plans are and how shifting our plans are?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
A straight path isn’t a timeline of decisions or a GPS, but a compass in your heart by the Spirit of God that directs your heart to honor God in whatever comes your direction.
Love you, church!
Pastor John
