God's way or no way...

(This was supposed to be yesterday's post. I had no internet for the first half of the day and I was very busy. My apologies) 

“But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Psalm 33:11

Eternity, Infinity, Forever. These are hard words to really wrap our heads around because we are creatures of time. A lifetime to us seems like an eternity, but compared to forever it is just a vapor that appears for a second and then disappears.

That being said, what are you doing with the time God gave you? Are you following His plan or your own? The verse above reminds me of another verse that is similar but goes one step further. Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

There is an old saying that still rings true today and it is “we plan, God laughs”. Now, I don’t know if He actually laughs, but I can picture Him shaking His head at me most of the time.

We all make plans, resolutions, to do lists, goals for the future, some spur of the moment jotting something down, others are well thought out. We make preparations and assume our plans will be carried out and then all of a sudden, a monkey wrench is thrown in our game plan and changes everything. I tend to be stubborn and believe that my plan is the way to go and when they don’t work out I get hurt, upset, angry, sad, confused and wonder why God allowed this plan that I wanted so badly to work and that seemed like the right thing to do fail. The answer is because it wasn’t God’s plan and purpose for my life. Only God’s plan stands strong when things seem to fall apart and it will stand firm forever.

Now we should still plan, but it is important to plan with God by our side so He can direct us to where we should go and not ourselves. In Proverbs 16:9 it says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” We need to surrender to God's plan and purpose for our life and let Him guide us and show us the way. It is when we fight our purpose that we find ourselves frustrated and searching aimlessly. If we have a plan that isn't working, instead of forcing it we should spend some time with God praying for guidance and revelation. If God reveals our plan is in accordance to His will then we need to have faith and perseverance. God's plan always succeeds.

Whether that plan seems excellent or pointless to us, we need to trust in Him and obey; He will direct us to where we need to go. (Proverbs 3:5-6) He always has our best interest in mind and His plan is good for us regardless is we think it is futile and if we just put our faith in God, we will find peace and hope instead of stress and worry. (Jeremiah29:11) And that hope we get comes from the knowledge that not only does He know the plans for us, but that His plan will remain unwavering always. How comforting and awesome is that?! 

Dear God, I pray that You would help me discern Your paths for my life. I have so many plans and schemes, but I know if they are not from You, they will not stand. I seek Your will Lord, not mine. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.