God's Plans

We make plans. So does God. Ultimately, God’s plans will prevail. But he does not work independently of us. He involves us in his plans. In each of the passages for today, we see something about God’s plans.

1. God’s plans and ours

Proverbs 16:8–17

The writer of Proverbs says, ‘In your heart you may plan your course, but the Lord determines your steps.’ (v.9)

It is alright to plan. However, we need to do it with the necessary humility recognising that our plans will only succeed if the Lord wills. If we make arrogant plans then it is true, as the saying goes, Question: ‘How do you make God laugh?’
Answer: ‘Tell him your plans.’

James writes, ‘Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”’ (James 4:13-15)

2. God’s plans and human plots

New Testament
Acts 22:22–23:11

Paul’s plans were exactly in line with God’s plans. He was guided by God. He resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem and then to Rome. (Acts 19:21)

However, in spite of the fact that his plans were in line with God’s plans, he hit crisis after crisis. We have seen that he faced false accusation (21:28 onwards) and mob violence (21:30 onwards). Now he is taken to the torture chamber, he is stripped, and stretched out to be flogged in such a way that might well have led to his death (22:24-25). But it was illegal to flog a Roman citizen before they had been convicted, and at the last moment Paul plays his trump card (22:25-29).

Next, Paul is placed in the dock (22:30 onwards). He points out his innocence. ‘Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.’ (23:2) Paul’s response is, ‘God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!’ (23:3) It is not quite the reaction of Jesus, but understandably human. He gives a half apology (23:5). He then manages to divide the tribunal (v.7-8), which consisted of Pharisees (who believed in the resurrection from the dead) and Sadducees (who didn’t). Paul says, in effect, ‘look, the reason I am on trial is that I am a Pharisee and believe in the resurrection of the dead’ (v.6). This leads to a massive argument which splits the Sanhedrin. The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from there by force and bring him into the barracks. (v.9-11)

Paul must have wondered whether he had made a real mess up of God’s plans. In the middle of this ‘crisis’, the Lord stood near Paul and said, ‘Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.’ (v.11) That is exactly what Paul had planned. It was God’s plan. It was exactly what was happening. God is in complete control. It may not always be easy to see it at the time.

God’s purpose was that Paul should testify about Jesus. Everywhere he went he gave his testimony. Even when he was not speaking his life was a testimony. He was called to testify both in Jerusalem (maybe the equivalent of testifying to the Church) and Rome (maybe the equivalent of testifying to the state, government and political leaders).

3. God’s plans and his agents

Old Testament
2 Kings 6:24–8:15

God works out his plans through human agencies.

The suffering of the people of Samaria was almost unbearable (2 Kings 6:24-31). The king of Israel makes a pathetic excuse for not helping the woman who cried to him, ‘Help me, my lord the king!’ (6:26) He replied, ‘If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you?’ (6:27) This is the wrong reaction. The sovereignty of God and his plans is not meant to be an excuse for human inaction. God works through human agents. When we see needs, we are called to be God’s agents responding to those needs. This is what Elisha did. God used Elisha.

He also used four men with leprosy who discovered that the Arameans had fled. As they ate and drank they said to each other, “We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves.” (7:9) This is a wonderful illustration of our motive for telling others the good news about Jesus. These starving men came across a mountain of food. They realised that God had delivered them from their enemies. They could have kept the good news to themselves, but that would have been utterly selfish. Yet they were tempted to do so. We have far better news than they had – the good news of Jesus and the gospel. We must not keep it to ourselves. We are the human agents responsible for carrying out God’s plans.

Lord, thank you that you have good plans for our lives. Thank you that your plans will ultimately prevail. Help us never to make plans that are in conflict with yours. Help us always to have the humility to say, when announcing our plans, ‘if the Lord wills’.

Thank you that we know that you plan for us to be bearers of the good news of Jesus. Help us to take every opportunity to bring this good news to a desperate and starving world. Help us to testify everywhere we go, whether in Jerusalem or Rome.