He Directs
Hello Bride of Christ,
Ever make plans and prepare for something for it never to come to pass or for it to unfold differently than what you had planned? Planning and preparing seems to be a big portion of how most people spend their days. Everyone who cooks knows a lot of planning occurs before meals appear on the table. From deciding what makes it on the list to buy at the grocery store, to going to the grocery store to purchase the items, to prepping the food, to then finally making the meal. Then you serve it to see if the satisfaction you were prepping and planning for was achieved. As a mother and wife to a family of 6 we do a lot of planning. Every day planning is incorporated to ensure everyone is ready and arrives on time to their daily activities. In all this planning one thing I have noticed it nearly never goes as I had intended.
“A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
A wise man once said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34) Yes, Jesus and His wise counsel. Some of us plan out of anxiety and worry. We want to be prepared. We want to be ready for anything. We want to have some sense of control. So, we plan. But in all the planning we lose our grip on joy, and our sight begins to drift to things of this earth instead of the kingdom of God. We find our priorities off kilter, overwhelmed with the demands of life, and simply frustrated. I speak from firsthand experience.
Yet, there are those of us that just have a zeal for life, and we can relate to this person in proverbs, “There are many plans in a man’s heart.” (Proverbs 19:21) We have dreams, goals, and desires, so we plan and prepare. We get excited about new opportunities and are looking for adventure or new seasons, so we plan and prepare to make ourselves available. But as the proverb concludes, “Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel-that will stand.” We may find ourselves praying and waiting. Waiting and praying. Praying and waiting. Again, I speak from first-hand experience.
Planning and preparing is not innately the issue. The issue lies with the heart. When planning and preparing, the heart begins to make commitments and form ideas. We may not be aware of them at first, but if the plans change, cancel, or deviate, how we respond will tell us whether we had made commitments or formed ideas. Feelings of disappointment, frustration, anxiety are all indications we truly have yet to resolve and agree with the fact the Lord is in control.
Bride of Christ, “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” (Psalm 37:23) “A man’s steps are of the Lord; How then can a man understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24) We must be careful as we plan. Be careful our heart does not begin to believe that it knows and understands its own way. Be careful our heart does not believe it directs our steps. Be careful our heart stays open and willing to lean to God’s plans. Even Balaam a prophet who truly heard from God found himself stumbling with planning. When approached by Balak with a diviner’s reward to curse the children of Israel, Balaam sought God’s counsel, and although God spoke to him and gave him clear instructions, Balaam’s planning heart got the best of him and brought upon him God’s anger. (see Numbers 22) Let us slow down, reflect inwardly, be honest with ourselves and our God, and muster up the heart of Jeremiah “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself, It is not man who walks to directs his own steps. O Lord, correct me, but with justice.” (Jeremiah 10:23-24)
