“The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.” Proverbs 19:21
We plan, we calculate, we scheme. We know exactly how things are going to go, or at least how they are supposed to go. Then we jump in headfirst only to meet every obstacle possible. Nothing works right, nothing goes as planned.
Thwarted plans equals frustration in my book. There have been many times when I set out at the beginning of the day with a ‘to do’ list to be accomplished. I may get some of it done, I may get none of it done. Later, I realize that the things I did accomplish were the the important things, and maybe not on the ‘to do’ list at all. Maybe I received a phone call from a friend in need; maybe I noticed something else needing to be taken care of that I hadn’t thought of before the day began; maybe the car wouldn’t start when I went out in the garage to leave! Whatever the circumstances were, whatever caused me to divert my attention to other matters, my best laid plans were thwarted. I especially hate the one where the car doesn’t start!
The real deal is that we made one set of plans, but God had another set of plans! As the proverb quoted above says, “but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.” His purpose may be to protect us from harm, to save us from unnecessary work, or to serve a need of someone else. For example, not too long ago, I had a major issue with my car. If I had handled it my way, I would have been on Interstate 4, on my way to the dealership, when the entire engine completely shut down. Instead, He led me to switch my plans, which enabled me to make it to my own driveway, where it died as I was pulling in! I was able to have it towed. When I realized what had transpired to make things happen in this way, I thanked God for thwarting my own plans.
When my children were younger, and still living at home, before they left for the day, I would tell them to make sure to ‘leave room for the Angels’, especially as teenagers driving. If we want God’s Angels to take care of and protect us, we need to give them the space to do it! We need to pay attention when we get an urge or feel the need to divert from or change our initial plans. When we make our plans, we need to remember to consult Him. And, when our plans go awry, we need to remember there may be a very good reason for it.
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