How do I go about making plans?

Exodus 25:40“Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I [the Lord] have shown you here on the mountain.”

Exodus 26:30“Set up this Tabernacle according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain.”

Acts 22:10“I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ “And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’”

Acts 18:21As he [Paul] left, however, he said, “I will come back later, God willing.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.

Follow God’s revealed will when you make your plans. If his will is not clear in a specific matter, remember that he has made his will clear in general matters of right and wrong, good and bad, helpful and harmful. So you can move ahead with your plans as long as you are confident they do not go against God’s Word. But as you do, don’t be surprised if God intervenes to alter them.

Genesis 11:4, 9Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.” . . . That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.

Psalm 33:10The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes.

Making plans without consulting God and seeking to understand what he wants is often a recipe for frustration and disaster. A unanimous human decision does not override God’s veto.

1 Chronicles 28:19“Every part of this plan,” David told Solomon, “was given to me in writing from the hand of the Lord.”

Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

The more you seek after God in every area of life, the more his guidance for you will become clear. As you submit to God, he will guide you in making your plans. Use your understanding and experience humbly, thanking God for what you have learned. Often, in hindsight, you will see how God guided and directed your choices and actions.

Isaiah 14:26-27“I have a plan for the whole earth, a hand of judgment upon all the nations. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken—who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can stop him?”

Romans 8:28We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

God will work through your plans, and in spite of them, to accomplish his goals. If you find this impossible to believe, you have a problem with your understanding of God.

Matthew 6:34“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

James 4:13-16Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.

Long-range planning is good, but hold those plans loosely. You don’t know what the future will bring and where God will take you. So plan ahead, but be flexible as you see God working in your life.

Proverbs 2:1-11Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. . . . For the Lord grants wisdom! . . . He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. . . . you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.

Hebrews 11:1-2, 6Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. . . . And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

A plan is only as good as the information upon which it is based. Human intellect is limited and inadequate. Apart from the Lord, your plans are more likely to fail. The Lord promises wisdom to those who rely on his Word and depend on his Spirit. And he promises to guide those who truly seek him.