Proverbs 16:9 – “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”
Tonight was yet another night that went in no way how I planned it. And I’m thankful for a sovereign God who directs all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28).
You see, I’m a planner by nature. If that wasn’t enough, this part of my personality is drawn out and amplified in my daily job as a chemical process engineer. The problem with being a planner is that as much as we like to feel that we are in control as we attempt to lay out every detail or even just major markers for the future is that our vision is so foggy as we look forward. This is true in my job in a petrochemical manufacturing plant, as you have to accept the presence of “daily, routine emergencies” that inevitably pop up, and it’s certainly true in the course of our lives.
I will conjecture that well over 50% of those who might read this post would concede that they attempt to plan ahead and find themselves planning beyond their capability of bringing those plans to completion. And I would assert that the remainder of those who don’t put themselves in this category are either in denial or haven’t considered the statement or themselves closely enough (I say this somewhat jovially). Basically, as humans, we have a natural tendency to attempt to control or plan our lives beyond our ability to practically bring those plans to fruition.
For instance, what do you plan to do tomorrow? Go to work perhaps. Maybe do some work on your place of residence. Maybe you have something fun planned. Maybe you simply plan to wake up and eat at some point. Regardless, you have an idea of what you anticipate you will do tomorrow. Think logically and I believe you’ll agree that there will be some details, however seemingly minor, that will not go as you planned…and it’s possible that you will do none of the things you planned to do. Cars break down, people get sick, flights get delayed, alarms fail to go off. Interactions with others divert us from our previously mapped out life-routes, even if they are as simple as what we planned to eat.
Tonight I planned to read the book I just started, “The Case For Christ,” and then take a nap on my flight home. Well, the flight got delayed, and I was able to start the book (which is awesome, by the way). However, I was then engaged in a conversation with the random stranger sitting next to me in the terminal. From that point forward, my night deviated completely from my plans.
Could I have used the sleep? For sure. Could I have used the insightful points in the book? Absolutely. Was what actual occurred better than what I had planned? Without a doubt. The second most important reason why I know this course of events was better than my plans is because I can readily see that God placed this man of God and me in each other’s paths tonight, simply by the fruit of the conversation. However, the most important and universal reason why these events were better than my plans is this: our God is a sovereign God.
Proverbs 19:21 states, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." Oh, how true, as I’ve experienced this truth in pleasant examples such as tonight, as well as in very difficult ones from my past.
Where is our faith in God if He is not absolutely sovereign? It is nothing without His sovereignty. If my God is not ruler of all and absolutely guiding the path of those who are loyal to Him, where is my confidence in the next step I will take tomorrow in any direction, especially when it doesn’t go according to plan?
We need to have faith in a sovereign God. Walking through life, looking forward into the future, is like looking though a dense fog. We can get a general idea of where we think we’re going, but we really can’t see very far forward. At other times, the fog is so dense that we cannot see our hands in front of our faces. Think about it: if we cannot expect tomorrow to go exactly as planned, how can we expect next year or a lifetime to go as we would plan? How do we move forward in spite of our limited vision?
One way is haphazardly. We may be bold, we may be courageous, but if our guide is not our sovereign God, we will surely misstep and it is going to cost us dearly. The revelation of our sovereign God comes through Scripture, but also in personal experience as we look backwards at the road we’ve traveled while not walking with God, as well as the road we’ve traveled when walking with God. Reading through Isaiah in BSF this year has driven home one point to me personally above all else: our God is a sovereign God. Additionally, reading though the Old Testament and Bible in its entirety paints an overwhelming picture of the sovereignty of our Lord.
Moreover, the contrast between the fog when looking forward vs. the clarity when looking back at our past can be striking. As we look at where we’ve been and what we’ve come through, we see the preferred road much more plainly, as well as the many pitfalls and jagged snares that threaten our lives. We see the path we walked when not trusting in our sovereign Lord that took us through the snares and pitfalls; but we also see the path that we walked when our Lord was our guide and are amazed at the snares we almost stepped in, only to be saved one step short of them. We marvel further when we recall that those seemed like the worst parts of the journey—the painful correction back to God’s path when we didn’t get things the way we thought we wanted them. Thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for redeeming us from our path of evil snares and saving us to Him: the Way, the Truth, and the Life!
John 14:6 – “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
With our rearview mirror clear, we can glance back at our lives, recognizing the sovereignty of our God, and with more boldness and fervor than ever, step forward into the foggy future with our Savior.
The fog blanketing the future is Time. As beings bound by time, we have a blanket of fog on our futures. But God created time. God is not bound by time and can see the way with utmost clarity—after all, He Himself is the Way. Therefore, we can trust our Guide to guide us unto all truth, who is the Holy Spirit, imparted to those who know Jesus as their Savior:
John 16:13 - "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Being guided unto all truth is being guided unto His sovereign way, which is being guided unto life on earth in time and space, and eternally with Him in Heaven.
How can you get in touch with your Creator, your Savior, your Guide, your sovereign God? He promises to come to those who sincerely seek Him.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 – “ 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. 12Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ”
Ask Him, He is there. I once only had knowledge of this truth through Scripture, but I can testify that I now have knowledge through personal experience. How will you step forward into the fog of tomorrow? Will you risk your life, now and eternal, by going forward haphazardly? Will you be paralyzed by lack of vision, unable to move forward from your current situation? Or will you seek, come to know, and trust your sovereign Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, moving forward with confidence, peace, and joy?
Thank you, Lord, that you love me and are there for me. May we seek you with all of our hearts. Forever. Amen.
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