Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord ’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21 NIV)
It's Monday morning and I think it only fair I choose an easy one. To make matters worse, It's also Inauguration Day in the Nations Capital and my commute was, to say the least, complicated. My ability for industrial thought today is diminished. My apologies. So, ... what's to say here that has not already been said?
You know, when I'm planning a route online to somewhere I don't usually go, there is a high probability of some measure of failure. For all those out there who have used online mapping websites, you can relate. It's an almost certain losing strategy to put our directional hope in something or someone with absolutely no accountability for our successful arrival.
There are a couple of words here that make this passage thought provoking for me. First it's the word "heart". When I plan a route that ends up going "south" on me (sorry, I couldn't resist that), I'm annoyed. When my "heart" is in something and it goes sideways, my disappointed runs much deeper. So, a good strategy for life should always be to minimize disappointment. Right? (Wow an amazing revelation - but for a Monday this is huge!) The question is, How do we accomplish that? Well, the short answer is to match your "heart plans" with God's purpose.
Sound easy? Well, the answer IS easy. The challenge is in the implementation. For all Program Managers out there, I'm certain I hit close to home. Basically, we must be praying, we must be reading, we must be attending, we must be congregating... we must be actively pursuing God. Even then, it's not a quick solution. Relationship building with God is not unlike relationship building with people; it takes time. Remember the old saying that it's not the amount of time you spend its the quality of the time? While it is true that any time spent seeking God is "quality time", but in order to better understand as well as be "in tune" with the mind of God you will need to spend "quantity time".
The last comment I have here is on the word "purpose". Notice the verse does NOT say "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord ’s plans that prevail." The author states that it's the "Lord's purpose" that prevails". God has the "big" picture here and he WILL accomplish His purpose; you can guarantee that. I've often said that I don't want the "big" picture because, to use a phrase from a well known movie, I can't handle the truth.
So when we plan our routes in life, we need to make sure we are connected to the right content provider. If we allow God enter His destination for our lives, every turn we make will be the right one.
Happy Monday!
Blessings, Tim
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