At the start of a new year, it’s easy to start thinking about big plans for the months ahead. Sometimes these plans come in the form of resolutions (that we rarely keep), but for others, it’s about planning goals to accomplish, which will dictate how they spend their energy in the coming months. In either case, I wonder how often we plan these goals because they’re what we want vs what God wants for us.
I don’t know about you, but there have been times for me that one of the most paralyzing elements of goal planning was wondering if I was doing what God wanted me to do. Sometimes, Scripture can seem confusing on this issue. Is it about God’s will for my life, or about how I fit into God’s overall will? Am I supposed to be patient and wait on the Lord, or do I move forward doing what I believe He’s called me to do and recognize that my nervousness is just my own doubt and it’s time to be courageous and do what He called me to do? There is no clear answer for every situation.
However, among the wisdom relayed in Proverbs 16, several verses speak to the notion of making plans.
“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.”
“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.”
“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”Proverbs 16:1-3,9 (ESV)
As we make plans and set goals for the coming year, if we seek the Lord during the planning, and commit the plans and work to Him as we set out, we should be moving in the right direction. The trick is to pay attention to the steps the Lord is establishing for us. It seems to me that the only way to ensure that we are really following the Lord’s plan in the carrying out of our plans is to be tuned in to what the Holy Spirit is showing us along the way, which is a two part endeavor. We must,
- Pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is revealing to us as we pray and read Scripture, intentionally seeking the Lord as we go, and
- Pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is showing us in the moment-by-moment living out of these plans.
If we are sensing peace and open doors, then the pathway forward seems clear. If there is a lack of peace, if there are more obstacles then we’d expect, and if things ever run contradictory to what the Lord would have anyone do according to His word, then it’s time to slow down and prayerfully re-evaluate what we are doing. Talk to trusted mentors who can help you think it through from a biblical perspective. Talk to peers who will come along side you in prayer. Because the moment we start putting our will ahead of the Lord’s will, we start heading for trouble.
Maybe that’s why this next verse is in the same chapter.
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Proverbs 16:18 (ESV)
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