Proverbs 19:21 'Many plans are in a man's mind, But it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand (be carried out)'
Picture this, it's the beginning of the year and the fireworks are lighting up the sky, whilst there is celebration all around. You are filled with anticipation and hope for all the plans you have written in your journal, stuck on your vision board, posted on your prayer wall. There are many different ways in which we make our plans and the Lord sees them all, even the ones hidden within our heart that we're too afraid to voice.
There is nothing wrong with making plans, I think where a lot of us falter is that we think we have to draw the blueprints up ourselves, when they have already been laid out to precision by the great architect - God. I've struggled with trying to understand God's plans, trying to make sense of them and much of my frustration came from my expectations on how my life was supposed to look like in my head. I thought that God would do what I wanted, because He knew what it is that I desired and prayed for, so surely our plans should match up right?
This anchor scripture is so key as it plainly explains how life is going to turn out: according to God's will.
When we come to the faith, we are zealous and have a burning passion for God and want to please Him and just give it all to Him. Overtime what can often happen in the Christian walk, is that we assume the position of telling God that our preferred way is what we want to happen and that's final. I won't move, I won't forgive, I won't obey etc. unless it is going my way. Friends, we must fully submit our lives and will to Him, that means hands off the steering wheel and total trust in God.
What often can be the tussle is that what we want in our human nature or even our pre-saved life, goes against or can be so different to what God's desires for our lives are. We can feel slighted in a way, like God is taking away things that are precious to us. I'm sure you have heard of testimonies where people had to let go of a job, move to a different location, let go of a relationship, continue in something they wanted out of, but God's will at the time was for them to stay. What do you do when it feels like God is leading you astray? Like He doesn't know the way to go, or you may even feel like He's ruining your life?
You keep going.
God is all knowing for a reason, and at times it can seem like a cop out to just blindly follow His direction. But did you know that you can ask God questions? Just know that He doesn't answer everything, and some revelations come much later than the moment you want them to. He has planned out the whole timeline of humanity, He orchestrated your family lineage so that you would be born when you were born, to be living in this time of history today. He is orchestrating what happens in nations all around the globe, He was present in the 1700s orchestrating lives and events, He knows what is to come when the year 2023 ends. Think of this track record of God, sometimes we need more recent examples, because Biblical times stretch even further back. God was there before earth was formed. How can we, who have been alive for a handful of decades, be more knowledgeable about our lives, than God who was there before there ever was a beginning?
It's good to have desires for your life, but they must always be brought to God and surrendered, because it's His will that is the ultimate priority. It may happen or something different instead, it may be in the time frame you wanted, or perhaps it will be a different time frame. God sees how all the pieces, decisions, people, places fit together in your life, and so His understanding is not from our point of understanding.
Trust can be challenging at times, especially when you don't know where God is taking you, as life pans out differently than you envisioned. I can assure you that it is the best way, even when it feels completely opposite in the moment, His will is the direction you want to take, and I pray that you consider submitting to it and see what God can do.