Proverbs 16:9–Plans Established by God

Proverbs 16:9–"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

2014 is upon us, a new year has arrived full of potential and promise.  My prayer for you this year is that you would see God's awesome blessings in your life and that you would see Him establish your heart's desire this year.  That is why this verse seems so appropriate today, New Year's Day.  Even the best laid plans require the Lord's input for success.  Because of this, I don't think that we can overemphasize the necessity for prayer as we consider and develop our goals for 2014.  For only through God will we be blessed!

Proverbs 16:9–Humans Plan, God Establishes

Proverbs 16:9: "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

The whole 16th chapter of Proverbs deals with this concept, but it is this verse that hits the nail on the head.  And it is an important verse to remember every so often, because isn't this just the case?  That we would plan each step but it requires the Lord for our plans to be established and reach fulfillment.

I can speak from experience that my heart seems to always be brimming with plans but it has been only when I have commited these plans to the Lord that I have been blessed to see these plans reach their potential, not at all because of my expert administration but because of God's great goodness.

It is, thus, a necessary remembrance to put every plan before God who ultimately establishes our steps!

Planning in order to be More Effective

My natural inclination is towards disorder and improvisation.  At a very early age I was diagnosed with pretty severe ADHD which has been a huge part of who I am in this regard.  One of the effects of such a personality is that I tend to be very comfortable in uncomfortable situations because.  While this propensity towards pandemonium can be an asset in certain scenarios, it can also be a hindrance towards productivity.  As a result, a major part of my personal growth and sanctification has been about learning how to simultaneously take advantage of my comfortability with disorder as well as how to overcome it with some intentional scheduling and focus.

Speaking from the perspective of an ardent abstract-random thinker, to concede to the benefits of being intentional would be a shock if I were to tell this to my fifteen-year-old self.  Although, as it stands today, I have learned without a doubt that God wants us to be intentional about how we will use our time to ensure that it is being used for maximum effect and potency.

Normally, I would make a list of relavent Scripture passages to make the point but for this it might be best to simply point to the nature of creation put forth in Genesis 1.  God created all of creation to have order and He did it with great intention.  God is a good of purpose and we should take that same posture in ourselves.  We should become a people of purpose and of intentionality, who do are not tossed to and fro by the tossing waves of this corporeal life, but who determine to stay true to the paths that God has set out before us.  Therefore, let us determine to plan and to stick to our plans so as to be as effective and significant as we possibly can!