Proverbs 16
To a man belong the plans of the heart but from the Lord comes the reply
of the tongue. V1 Commit to the Lord
whatever you do and your plans will succeed v 3. In his heart a man plans his course but the
Lord determines his steps v 9.
Do you have plans for today, for
tomorrow or for the week or even the year ahead and how do you make plans? Are
you someone who likes to be spontaneous or perhaps you can’t get through the
day without a long ‘To Do List’?
The writer of Proverbs has much to
say about the process of planning. Making a plan has been defined as ‘a method
of action to accomplish a purpose’. God expects us to use our minds to make a
plan whilst at the same time allowing him to direct our paths and to guide us
along the way. We need to be listening to God, asking him to nudge us in the
right direction, committing our plans to him in the knowledge that he may
overrule and give us something even better.
We have friends who are currently
going through a challenging time of trying to move house. They have a date by
which they have to be out of their current property (soon!) and as yet have
been unable to find a suitable house to move to. They are seeking to trust God
in the midst of the uncertainty. They have made plans and have committed them
to God, trusting that he will to determine their steps.
Whatever our situation, the way of
wisdom is to commit both our everyday plans to him as well as the dreams and
bigger purposes for our lives, and to allow him to bring our thoughts in line
with his will (1 Cor 2 v16) as he determines our steps.
(husband and wife)