A couple months ago, something happened to me that I couldn't foresee. I was at a three-day training event in Pittsburgh with a group of authors, podcasters, and business leaders. We were having a great time together, and as the event was coming to a close, I walked over to the parking garage where I had been parking my car every day, only to discover that the the gates were down and my car was locked inside. They locked the garage an hour earlier than posted.
Several other people at the event were with me when I made this discovery, and I was in such a good mood that I found this problem more comical than upsetting. I even jokingly said to one of my friends, "Hmmm. I wonder what happens next?" It seemed clear to me that the discovery of my car being locked in that garage was just the beginning of what was about to become a story I would tell the rest of my life.
The friends I was with asked me what I was going to do. I thought about it for a minute, outlined my plan for them, then gave it a shot. There was just enough room for me to slide under the gate, so I slid my way into the parking garage. Then I started my car and drove it up to the area where I could pay my toll. I hoped that paying the toll would trigger something that would lift the gate and allow me to get my car out of the building, but that didn't work.
The next part of my plan involved driving my car to the lower level of the parking garage to see if there might be another exit. There was, but it was also locked. So, for several interesting minutes, I utilized the help of my friends to brainstorm a new plan to see if we could figure out how to actually raise the gates and get my car out of the building.
There were chains attached to the gates, so I pulled them loose then attempted to raise the gates by pulling them. That didn't work. Several times I tried to lift the gates by hand, but they were securely locked. I was running out of options until another friend noticed a series of buttons on one of the walls. At her suggestion, I walked over to them and tried to discern what they might do. One button in particular caught my attention, so I pressed it and thankfully, it opened the entrance gate which would allow me to maneuver my car out of the building.
In a situation like that, it was helpful to have a plan. It was also practical to adapt the plan when my initial approach wasn't working, and helpful to have good counsel from my friends because without their help, it's entirely possible my car might still be stuck inside that building.
In general, I think making plans is a good thing, but when we're making plans, there's something we need to be careful about. For us as believers in Jesus Christ, we need to make sure that our plans aren't born out of selfish motives or worldly pursuits. When we develop a plan in life, we want to make sure that it aligns with God's greater purposes, and that's what Solomon demonstrates for us in Proverbs 16:1-9. So, what does it look like to operate with a plan that aligns with God's will?
I. Commit what you do to the Lord's glory
The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.
Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established. (Proverbs 16:1-3)
More times than I can count, I have listened to people outline the plans they have in store for the next season of their life. And I've done the same exact thing. We like to talk about the things we're going to do, the places we're going to go, and the open doors we're going to walk through. Occasionally, our plans work out like we expected, but more often than not, they get amended, sometimes drastically.
I still remember a conversation I had with a friend several years ago. He had developed a five-year plan for what his family was about to do. He included all kinds of specific details. On paper, it looked great. But soon after writing it all out, his wife shared some unexpected news with him. They thought they were finished having children, but apparently God had a surprise in store for them and their plans were drastically, and happily amended.
Solomon tells us that humanity likes to make plans. We have all sorts of things charted out. We have all sorts of expectations for the coming months and years, but the real answer for what's coming up rests in the sovereign and providential hand of God. He orchestrates what He knows will be best for His children. He tests the motives of our hearts. And for our benefit, He allows some of our plans to come to fruition, while others He elects to put the brakes on.
Solomon encourages us to make plans with a particular goal in mind. In Proverbs 16:3, he tells us to, "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." What is Solomon trying to tell us? He's telling us to commit what we do to the Lord's glory. We're challenged to submit our work to the Lord. We're invited to trust His guidance and direction. And as we do so, He will enable our plans to succeed provided that they are in line with His will.
This instruction reminds me of the words of Jesus as He prayed to the Father in Luke 22:42. In that time of prayer, Jesus said, "Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." We're called to apply that same attitude to the plans we make. He calls us to commit our plans to the His glory and submit our work to His guidance and will.
II. Turn away from evil and toward Jesus
The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.
Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
be assured, he will not go unpunished.
By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. (Proverbs 16:4-6)
The other day, I was watching a news broadcast that involved security tape of a crime being committed. The people in the video were not aware they were being recorded, and they certainly didn't expect the recording to be broadcast by the media. As I watched the recording, I felt conflicting emotions. On one hand, I was glad that their crime was going to be addressed, but on the other hand, I felt bad for them because it's very likely that they're about to spend years in prison. Somehow, they had been convinced to embrace evil, and now they were going to pay a steep price for that decision.
As followers of Christ, that's not the direction our lives should be taken. Scripture speaks repeatedly about the concept of repentance. Repentance is a beautiful word, but it's often treated like a very scary concept. Through Christ, we're invited to repent of our sin. When we do so, we're turning away from evil and turning toward Him. That's His calling on our lives, and that's precisely what He empowers us to do on a daily basis.
That mindset should also be reflected in the plans we make and the overall direction we attempt to bring our lives. Solomon teaches us in this passage that if we have arrogant hearts, we will invite evil into our lives and then experience punishment. Arrogance is an abomination to the Lord. Arrogance is, in effect, acting as if we're a greater authority than the Lord is. An arrogant heart elevates its plans above the plans of the Lord and rejects the opportunity to humbly seek the life-giving presence of Jesus.
But those who fear the Lord won't embrace arrogance. They will turn from evil and turn toward Jesus who atoned for their sin at the cross. In Proverbs 16:6, Solomon said, "By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for." Jesus is the perfection of steadfast love and faithfulness, and in His faithful love, He atoned for our wickedness. So, since our sin has been atoned for by Jesus, why should we return to the very thing He paid so great a price to liberate us from?
By the grace Christ supplies, make certain that the plans you craft are plans that turn away from evil and turn toward Jesus.
III. Submit your plans to the Lord's greater plan
When a man's ways please the Lord,
he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Better is a little with righteousness
than great revenues with injustice.
The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:7-9)
Have you ever noticed how it seems to be hard-wired into humanity to desire the approval of our parents? As a grown man who still has one living parent, I still care about his approval. As a father, I have seen this same desire at work in the hearts of my children at every stage of their lives. I think it's part of how we have been designed, and I also think that the greatest form of approval we have been fashioned to seek is the approval of our Heavenly Father.
In Proverbs 16:7, Solomon speaks about a man's ways pleasing the Lord. He tells us that when a man's ways please the Lord, the Lord will even cause the man's enemies to be a peace with Him. We're also told in Proverbs 16:9 that the Lord will establish the steps of a person who submits their plans over to Him. These are encouraging aspects of our relationship with God to see illustrated in His word.
One of the aspects of the gospel that amazes me is the fact that in Christ, the Father is pleased with us. If we've trusted in Jesus, He lives within us. From that point, whenever God the Father looks at us, He sees His Son and He is pleased. Do you let yourself think about that? Does it amaze you that God could possibly look at your life and be pleased with you?
and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)
Do you have a plan for your life? Have you submitted that plan over to the Lord? Can you confidently say that the Lord is pleased with that plan?
When we make plans, we need to make sure that those plans align with God's greater purposes. A plan that aligns with His purposes pleases Him. A plan that aligns with His purposes is blessed by Him. A plan that aligns with His purposes brings Him glory.
© John Stange, 2020
