Are you a planner? This morning’s reading has several verses about planning. Interestingly, planning has two sides: what we are trying to accomplish and God’s purpose. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21, ESV)
So, if God’s purpose will stand, should we be making plans? Yes! Planning is a positive thing. Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity (Proverbs 21:5). Plans succeed through good counsel (Proverbs 20:18). In the New Testament, sitting down to plan and count the cost is a positive thing (Luke 14:28–29). Don’t go to war without first preparing (Proverbs 21:31)! Planning is necessary for success. At the same time, for all the planning, man cannot outwit the purpose of God (Proverbs 21:30).
From these two sides of the same coin—that planning is important and God’s purpose will not be thwarted—we see that success is realized when we acknowledge God and ask Him for direction from the start (Proverbs 3:5–6). In other words, God shows us the path, and we plan the steps. Planning our steps on the right path makes a big difference!
Lastly, Proverbs mentions something about planning that we all likely have faced. The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? (Proverbs 20:24, NLT) Not every plan goes according to plan! We also can’t think of everything! In other words, be flexible! Some things are too small to sweat—it’s not worth that stress level. Sometimes, big things happen that we didn’t see coming—so adjust and move on. Yes, while we do our best and plan, we still must trust God! Acknowledge, plan, and trust; these make for good success!
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Proverbs 19-21.