When Things Go Wrong

When Things Go Wrong

Proverbs 19:21

Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the LORD will stand.

We have all been there and gone through it. I'm talking about those times when we have made plans only to see them crumble and fall apart on us. How disappointing it can be when our careful planning goes awry!

Interestingly, both Jesus and His half-brother, James, tell stories that teach about this. It's almost as if you can hear Joseph and Mary teaching them about this when they were children.

In the Gospel of Luke 12:16-28, and in James 4:13-16, Jesus and James teach us that all of our planning is worthless if we ignore what God wants. James wrote that it is arrogant to make plans without considering God's will. He says:

James 4:13-15

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow ... Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”

Likewise, Jesus says that we can make all the plans we want, but if we fail to include God in our planning, it is nothing but foolishness.

Luke 12:19-21

"...And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry’... So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

What are they saying? They are telling us to remember that God is a real part of our lives and we need to be reminded that He is in control. We need His input. We should be reading His Word and praying when we make our plans.

God knows us and He knows what is best for us. When we pray, we should place our plans before Him and ask for wisdom and guidance. He loves us and wants us to be in step with His will.

Psalms 37:4-6

"Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him, and He will do it."