Man's Plans - God's Will

"The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9 (NASB)

We all have plans and plans can definitely be good. But our plans need to be within His will. How do we accomplish having plans that are within His will? In James 4:13-16 it says, "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.' As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." (ESV)

There are several things we can be sure of. First, Life is complex. With all of the things we do and say everyday, the decisions we make, the people we meet, the activities and goals we all have, we must agree that it is extremely complex and that danger can lurk at every turn. Perhaps the dangers are not always physical. They can be mental, emotional, and spiritual as well. This could paralyze us with fear but "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) Apart from the will of God, life can be confusing and difficult to navigate and understand, but when you know Him and seek to do His will, things begin to fall into place. The world begins to make sense and everyday things take on new meaning. You can relax knowing that you are no longer in charge of this big, confusing, complex world (not that you ever were!). He is. I find that a tremendous relief! Don't you?

The second thing you can be sure of is that this life is very uncertain. Proverbs 27:1 says, "Don't brashly announce what you're going to do tomorrow; you don't know the first thing about tomorrow." (The Message) In James chapter 4, these people were making plans for a whole year when they didn't even know what tomorrow would bring. The parable in Luke 12:16-21 speaks to this. "And he told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully,' and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." (ESV) We do not know the length of our days; that is something we have to entrust to the Lord. He is not uncertain about our futures. He holds them in the palm of His hands. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'" Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)

The third thing we need to keep in mind is that life is brief. Job 8:9 says, "For we were born only yesterday and know nothing, and our days on earth are but a shadow." (NIV) God wants us to number our days. "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 (ESV) Warren Weirsbe says, "Since life is so brief, we cannot afford merely to 'spend our lives'; and we certainly do not want to 'waste our lives.' We must invest our lives in those things that are eternal."

Finally, we must understand the frailty of man. In verse 16 of James chapter 4, it says, "As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." We boast because we want to cover up our weakness and frailty. Deep down inside we all know how frail and weak and brief and uncertain and complex this life is and it scares us to death. Our boasting is sin, pure and simple, because when we boast we set ourselves up as God in our own lives. Quite frankly, that scares me more than anything else! Me as God? That is not a pretty picture...

So how do we know what the will of God is? He reveals His will in His Word but we choose to ignore it. In the Bible, God gives us directions for this life. "God gives us precepts, principles, and promises that can guide us in every area of life. Knowing and obeying the Word of God is the surest way to success." (Warren Weirsbe)

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success." Joshua 1:8 (NASB)

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Psalm 1:3 (KJV)

Dear Lord, Help us to learn Your will through Your Word. Help us not to ignore the directions You have given us but instead make us hunger and thirst after Your righteousness. Please Lord, let us let You be God in our lives and as we make our plans let it always be "Lord willing"...