Human Plans

You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.

Proverbs 19:21

AL PLANNED TO make a million dollars by the time he was twenty-five years old. He laid out the steps that would lead him to success in reaching his goal. He figured out what career to enter, decided what kind of training he’d need for that career, and started taking necessary classes.

Sure enough, Al excelled. Besides making careful plans, he had natural ability. He began evaluating which specific businesses would get him to his goal of a million dollars the quickest.

But then, in the middle of Al’s course of action, something happened: he met Jesus. He started reading his Bible and going to church and praying. He started thinking about all the people who did not know Jesus.

Al continued along the course he’d set, but he lost his enthusiasm. One night at church, Al went forward for prayer. He dedicated his life to the Lord. And he went a step further. He stopped focusing on making a million dollars and accepted God’s challenge to try to reach a million people—one at a time—through starting a small ministry.

How many times do we, like Al, make our plans, plowing through life? Al was seeking the Lord, and his heart was tender enough to change direction when God spoke.

Nothing is wrong with making plans, but God promises that what he wants to happen will happen—whether it’s through our plans or whether we have to change our plans. The key is to keep our hearts pliable and our minds open to him.