Proverbs 16:9 Amplified Bible (AMP) 9 A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the Lord directs his steps and establishes them.
James 4:13-15 Amplified Bible (AMP) 13 Come now [and pay attention to this], you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and carry on our business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen in your life tomorrow. [What is secure in your life?] You are merely a vapor [like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot] that is visible for a little while and then vanishes [into thin air]. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live, and we will do this or that.”
Man has intelligence and a will. They set goals and plan the means to achieve them. Irrational creatures cannot do this (they only react by instincts to stimulus). But the Creator God Almighty, sovereignly manages the details of every action perfectly and according to His will, purpose and plans, it is better that we willingly depended on Him. Assuredly, it is in God’s will to bless the righteous with a favourable outcome and turn the evil man’s plans upside down.
This proverb by Solomon is important. God rule is sovereign. Man can come up with the greatest plans; but if it is against the will of God it is in the power of God not to allow it to come to pass.
· Man may freely devise; God powerfully directs.
· Man may creatively plan; God masterfully dictates.
· Man may act as he pleases; God is pleased when man acknowledges Him before he acts.
God is the LORD! Your life and its plans are best in His hands:
Proverbs 3:5-6 Amplified Bible (AMP) Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].
Many wander and wonder through life, wishing they knew God’s will for them. But His will is not a mystery, and much of the answer is in His Word:
1. “Commit your works to the LORD”
Proverbs 16:3 Amplified Bible (AMP) Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him],
And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].
2. “Devise a way to achieve your desired Godly objectives”
Psalm 37:4-5 Amplified Bible (AMP) 4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
And He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
Trust in Him also and He will do it.
3. “You have permission to think, but say what the wisdom of God says”
Proverbs 16:1 Amplified Bible (AMP) The plans and reflections of the heart belong to man, But the [wise] answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
4. “It may not be wisdom to go it alone, it is better to seek Godly counsel”
Proverbs 15:22 Amplified Bible (AMP) Without consultation and wise advice, plans are frustrated, but with many counsellors they are established and succeed.
Proverbs 20:18 Amplified Bible (AMP) Plans are established by counsel; So, make war [only] with wise guidance.
5. “Trust God to take care of the details”
Psalm 37:23 Amplified Bible (AMP) The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path].
Psalm 84:11 Amplified Bible (AMP) 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord bestows grace and favour and honour; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Commit your ways to God, acknowledge His sovereignty and follow the rules of Scriptural wisdom, dot not ignore Godly Counsel, be led by the Spirit of God and go for it! No matter what it is!
There are no “perfect” human plans, so do not look for them. Do not waste your life worrying, or you will always be frustrated. Many things in life would serve us well when the Lord directs our steps. And this is also true with marriage, houses, business deals, family size, and so forth.
Do not fear nor worry about circumstances or perfect plans, and end up doing nothing, rather run on Biblical wisdom, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and with zeal do whatever you have found to do and do it as for God not man.
Ecclesiastes 11:3-6 Amplified Bible (AMP) 3 If the clouds are full [of rain], they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it lies. 4 He who watches the wind [waiting for all conditions to be perfect] will not sow [seed], and he who looks at the clouds will not reap [a harvest]. 5 Just as you do not know the way and path of the wind or how the bones are formed in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. 6Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle with your hands in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening planting will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
Colossians 3:23 Amplified Bible (AMP) 23 Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men
Man may devise but ultimately it is God who directs:
Ruth was a poor widow in a foreign land. She devised in her heart to glean fields – pick up scraps after the reapers – a lowly job with little future potential (Ruth 2:2). But the LORD directed her steps to the field of Boaz, a rich, single man who ended up marrying her, and they had David as their great-grandson (Ruth 2:3; 4:17).
The Jews were condemned by the Persian Empire to genocide. Esther devised in her heart to have King Ahasuerus and Haman to lunch, though she feared for her life to even ask for the meeting (Esther 4:16-17). But the LORD turned the king’s heart toward her with great affection and responsiveness. After she told him of Haman’s evil plans, the King found Haman begging on her bed, and that was that (Esther 7:7-8).
Abraham devised a way to find a wife for Isaac, and God directed his servant met Rebekah first.
Joseph chose to be righteous, and the Lord directed his steps to Egypt’s throne.
Jesse devised a way to send food to his sons in the army by his youngest son David, not knowing that God was directing David’s steps for a showdown with Goliath.
The Jews devised in their hearts to rid themselves of Jesus of Nazareth, but the glorious God turned their devices upside down. His crucifixion was God’s choice for the salvation of the Gentiles that they hated and hoped to ruin, and He returned in holy revenge to destroy their temple, city, and nation for their crime. Every step they took in this most heinous crime was according to God’s eternal purpose (Acts 2:23; 3:18; 4:28; 15:18).
When hearing about plans of wicked men, do not worry. They can bring nothing to pass that God has not already planned from eternity to overrule for His own glory, purposes, and people. The wicked are His pawns or puppets.
Psalm 127:1-2 Amplified Bible (AMP) Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise early, To retire late,
To eat the bread of anxious labours—For He gives [blessings] to His beloved even in his sleep.
Our best efforts are vain without God’s blessing. Though God expects us to apply ourselves diligently to achieve our goals, the outcome truly depends on His will, plan and purpose and His Grace, not our ability, genius, or diligence in planning or executing our plans.
Conclusion: God wants us to reject excessive worries or effort and go to sleep, because He loves us and will provide what we need.
1 Peter 5:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honour in His service] at the appropriate time, 7 casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].
Psalm 32:8 (AMPC) 8 I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
The Message Bearer
Cornelius Bella
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