When Our Plans Don't Work

How many times did you say, "I wish I knew God's will for me?" People outside and inside the church are facing a common dilemma. The dillema is the question of making sure that God is guiding us in our everyday decision making.

Many of us wish that God will give us a clear life plan for us. We want to know in advance what God has in store for us in the future. Very few people in the Bible that we know received their life plans from God. The eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament says, these people of faith died without receiving all that God had promised. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance (v.13). Abraham, when told by God to pack up his family and possessions obeyed God and started walking. He was not given the details of his journey, his destination, how much it will cost him or the reward he would get later, whether he will receive a 401(k), or a health insurance benefit that goes with God's commands. Abraham obeyed God. He did not question God at all!Let us not forget that God never promised to give us a twenty-year plan of action; instead, what He promised us many times in the Bible is never to leave or forsake us.

Forget what God's will in your life! What matters most to God is not what we intend to do next year, but He is much interested about our response to His Spirit's leading today! We should quit trying to figure out what the future will be for us and focus on what God wants us to do for Him, instead of what God can do for us. If we have already surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ, it is not our job to tell God what we want Him to do for us. Only God knows our future. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope."

So what then is God's plan for us? I believe that God's will for us is to WORSHIP Him! Worship means to express our love and awe of who he is. True worship requires complete commitment of our body, soul and mind. Our problem is we are only interested with the words "give to you." It requires worshipping God to receive this promise.

Another problem with some people is they "add a little bit of God to their lives to balance life." Unconsciously, we find asking God to join us in places we want Him to go, rathet than following Him as we are commanded to do so. God is not something that we can just simply add to our lives.

God orders our steps. Psalm 37:23 reads, "The steps of a good man are odered by the Lord; he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand." God delights on us when we follow and trust Him. What is a good man? A good man is not a wealthy person, an intelligent man or woman, a benevolent and charitable man, or one who believes he is good. No one is good. When we start to feel that we are good people we ought to consider that we are "good" because of the goodness of God in us, and not because we are good on our own. We are good because God is good! Take one letter "O" from the word good and it is read GOD! So, the next time you are tempted to think that you are a good person, remember that apart from Jesus in your life it is impossible for you to be good!(Sometimes we are good because of our selfish motives and crafty plans).

Another big problem with us is we are stubborn and complacent. Proverbs plainly tells us, "For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil." (Prov. 1:32,33). Wow! What a deal! As a pastor, I realize that many times I found myself in this very place--stubborn and complacent. I made many wrong and foolish decisions that literally destroyed my dreams and hopes. Christians can easily fall into the trappings of making foolish choices if they ignore God's advice. If we obey His teachings and meditate on his word, it will keep us from greater pain in the future. Notice the words, "listen to me." God leads, we follow. If we do, then God will give us our safe and secure dwelling in this life and protection from all evil things.

God wants us to know His will more than we want to know it. He takes full responsibility for us to discover His will and purpose. His will is ultimately His problem, not ours. Our job is to delight in the Lord. Let us make Him our guide, and surrender to Him everything for His guidance and sovereign will. "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. (Psalm 37:4,5)

The Psalmist, David, calls us to delight in the Lord, even commit all we have and do to Him. When we delight in someone, we experience pleasure and joy in his presence especially when we "know" that person quite well. To delight in the Lord it requires for us to know Him better through the Word, as we seek Him and love Him with all our hearts, souls, and minds.

Lastly, I believe that the key to knowing God's will and plans for our lives is this: To keep in step with the Spirit and walking with the Spirit. Let us be His followers, not mere fans.