Our Plans

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

We make our plans, we do our best to observe the way, in which, we are headed and we do our best to plan and to discern the outcome. 

Sometimes we really miss it. Sometimes everything around us goes haywire. We don't always have enough information to form- our own ultimate destiny. 

Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking we have a plan but we are missing the basis and ingredients for a sound plan. 

Sometimes we just daydream... or we imagine... or we wish... or we manipulate. 

Sometimes we give it all we have and things don't go the way of "our plan".

Since we cannot really control the environment around us nor the reactions of other human beings....how can we truly say we create our own destiny? 

This really is where true prayer comes in. Since the Lord created us for His good pleasure, He will help us reach our goals if they are truly wise goals. If we are looking to Him and truly lookin for wisdom.

There is a sweet spot, in relationship with the Lord, in which you take full responsibility for your willfull outcomes... 

yet you yield and relinquish control of those things which you are not in control of. You yield and relinquish control to your Maker. 

It is a strange paradigm shift, in which, you find your faith in the One who is so trustworthy and faithful. 

Will relies upon will. Your choices become His choices. It is the ultimate harmony.

In this sweet spot, you are also able to pour out your heart about all the near misses, all the failures. 

You find a place of partnership between your will and His will. Your plan and His plan....they become One. 

It is like the yield in a true marriage and the resulting power which comes from this yield. Two wills become stronger by yielding through cooperation and unity. Its un-stoppable. 

This is why strife is so damaging...and so foreign to the Kingdom of God.

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 5:12

Your plan, overshadowed by His plan, the third cord is the connector- Jesus Christ.

I find it comforting to know, when I pray, when I look to the Lord for wisdom outside of myself for each decision and each circumstance...

I find it comforting to know... course corrections will be made by the One looking out for my benefit.

He will intervene on my behalf to get my course on solid ground and will show me the wonderful outcome on the horizon.

 He is for you not against you.

Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it, but folly brings punishment to fools. Proverbs 16:22

The Holy Spirit will comfort, guide and readjust our path if we are acknowledging our need and desire for His wisdom. 

I find that being still, being quiet, will often bring forth the wisdom which is waiting inside for us to grasp. 

In Isaiah 11, scripture describe the benefits of the Lord's Spirit within us; the Spirit of wisdom will rest within us, if we quiet ourselves. 

This is one of the most desirable treasures we receive when we receive Jesus Christ into our hearts....for wisdom rests upon Him.

The spirit of the Lord will rest on Him-- 

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, 

the Spirit of counsel and of power, 

the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord-- 

and He will delight in the fear of the Lord. 

He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decide by what He hears with His ears; 

but with righteousness He will judge the needy, 

with justice He will give decisions for the poor of the earth. 

Isaiah 11:2, 3, 4

It is good to have wise counsel from someone whom we trust. However, the ultimate counsel comes from the Lord in our times of quiet prayer and in times of quiet reading and listening. 

If we are always talking to everyone and always sounding off about all of our needs and issues, we cannot get quiet to hear from the Lord. 

There are, available, volumes and volumes of wisdom which we have never tapped because we are not listening, not asking, not ready to receive.

What if every word we spoke was a word of peace, formed from wisdom, from the wellspring, from within? 

Wow!  What a wonderful place this world would be. When you have experienced this wonderful quiet place, in His presence, every word is chosen with relish, like tasting a fine wine. 

You have no desire to rush the process. You have no need to talk the problem. You know the solution is on the way. He has wonderful plans for us and He will help us get to our destination. 

Would you like to know His plan for you? Just ask and then take time to listen. 

Here's a wonderful word of encouragement from our Maker. This scripture declares His ultimate plan for our planet...our world.

They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11:9

So, can you imagine the new, better plans He has for your life? It really is never too late to find this sweet spot of trust. 

He wants you to be a part of His ultimate plan too. You were created and planned to be a part of His plan. 

We have our plans but I think I like His plan better. I think I will rest my plan inside of His plan. I think I will listen and yield and let our plans synchronize by the Spirit.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord and will bring you back from captivity. Jeremiah 29: 11