Proverbs 16:9
We plan the way we want to live, but only GOD makes us able to live it.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I cannot tell you how many older adults I have encountered in the last few years who have made absolutely no plans for “old age.” And if you are a younger person reading this, you are probably thinking, “I have plenty of time for such thinking.” I’m sure that’s what my cousin thought, too… yet she fell over dead at age 46 while sitting on a patio, visiting with friends. She had plans to marry her companion of eleven years on 11-11-2011. You could say she had “planned the way she wanted to live” – but God surely had other plans.
Some of my dear friends are dealing with the care of aging relatives who have suddenly become unable to live alone and/or care for themselves. Another family that is close friends of ours is maintaining a hospital vigil over a loved one in his mid-sixties who suffered a sudden brain bleed and subsequent aneurysm. He was just working in his yard – minding his own business. He had plans for Easter weekend with his family and a concert with his daughters the following week, and now he is fighting to recover.
Some of you are just graduating from high school or college – and you have grand plans for the next chapter of your life… a career, marriage, children, and more. And God wants us to make plans and look forward to these seasons. But He also wants us to remember that all of our plans are subject to change. Nothing is set in stone, and because we cannot possibly know the plans that God has for us, what we humanly decide will be our course in life may not be what God delivers or allows to unfold.
The point is that we must be aware of Who is in control. We must ask Him to guide our steps and lead us in the direction that pleases Him and fits His plans. And when something unexpected happens… when He takes us in a different direction… we must be prepared to ask, “How would you have me handle this, Father?” and follow His lead at all times.
Remember, God’s plans are perfect – meant to bless us and to be for our good… not to hurt us in any way. Look for the goodness in every situation… the hidden blessings… the generous outcomes you might not have otherwise experienced if things had gone YOUR way! Thank God for always looking out for your best interest… and for being with you every step of the way.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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