The Right Plan

Today is January 1st.

With the start of a new year, people set goals and make plans for the next year. They may also reflect and review the past year to celebrate wins and learn from the losses.

When it comes to marriage, I believe people have hope and dreams for an amazing life-long relationship that brings joy, excitement, and togetherness. A man and a woman will stand before their family and friends or maybe a justice of the peace to make promises that they are ill prepared to keep within divine intervention.

We may try to make plans on how our lives will come together and grow, but it seems like virtually every marriage is fighting an uphill battle against attacks from the culture, situations, and selfishness of this world.

I don’t remember sitting down with my soon to be wife to hash out how we are going to handle our first fight, how we are going to react when a close friend hurts us, or the fender bender on the new car we financed for 6 years.

Planning is essential for growth. Change happens whether we are ready or not. Growth is change within the boundaries and nourishment of wisdom and time.

If you are reading this blog, the plans you had for your marriage did not produce the results you desired. It could be for a myriad of reasons. The reasons for your divorce or separation are not as important as what your next steps will be. You need a new plan.

The Right Plan.

Do you remember the story of David and Bathsheba?

In 2 Samuel 11, we read about the moral failure of David that led him to adultery and murder. He had a plan to make Bathsheba his wife after he had already gotten her pregnant, but this was far from the right plan.

David murdered Uriah by making a plan for him to be killed on the battlefield so that he could take Bathsheba as his wife and cover up what he had done. The consequences of his plan were a child who was born sick and died 7 days later, even after fasting and praying to God.

David looked away from God and towards the things of this world. His plans was not the right plan.

Because of his disobedience to God and wanting to fulfill his worldly desires, his life and history was changed. David lost a child, murdered a faithful warrior, and was not allowed to build the temple.

Before David was his father Saul, the first king of Israel. Did you know that God didn’t want Israel to have a king? (Samuel 8)

Samuel the prophet appointed his sons as judges for the people of Israel. The sons did not walk in God’s way so the elders of Israel wanted Samuel to anoint a king to lead the nation.

Samuel prayed to God and God told Samuel that the people did not reject him, they rejected God so give them what they want. The elder’s plan was to have a king for the nation like all the other nations.

Samuel told the elders all of the ways a king would enslave and oppress them. The following verse shook me when I read it:

1 Samuel 8:18

¹⁸ And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

Could the plans of mankind hinder God from answered prayer?

Could you be doing everything right in the sight of the Lord and still find yourself waiting for an answer from God? Sure. God has His ways and His timing. Your prayers are many times answered not in the way you expected or in the time you hoped.

Sometimes all it seems like I do is pray for things and people (healing, peace, provision, etc). Maybe God just wants me to go deeper and listen to Him instead of trying to fill the time with requests.

He already knows what we need. He wants to spend time with you and to speak hope into your life. Give Him more opportunity to respond as you grow in your relationship with Him.

God wants His best for us, but not at the expense of our free will. He gives us the opportunity to live this life blessed as we sacrifice our lives to follow Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit. He gave us the free will to make plans, and the best plans are those that bring God glory.

Let’s take a moment and evaluate our plans. Do we have any plans or are we just letting life carry us along?

What is the Right Plan?

Is Jesus in the forefront of your plan? Have you given your wants, needs, desires, feelings, thoughts, and urges to Him? Have you taken time to let Him speak to you and not just toss requests up to Heaven?

How do you know you have the Right Plan?

Does it glorify God? Does it help others? Does it lead you closer to Jesus? Does it bring you peace? Does it make this world better? Does it provide growth in your relationships, especially with God?

If you have read this far on this post, you will see that our faith must be open to not knowing the answer. Faith that you are on the right path with the Right Plan takes letting go and letting God lead. He will give you His plan, if you ask for it. Be patient and obedient to fully grasp all that God is doing through that plan.

Proverbs 16:9

⁹ The heart of man plans his way,
    but the Lord establishes his steps.

You will get the Right Plan. Trust God and let Him lead you.

Jeremiah 29:11

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Be blessed!!

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