Throughout our lives we as humans make many plans, engage in
many endeavors and try many different things. Some succeed, some fail, and some we may never know the outcome of either way.

A lesson that I have been learning and continue to learn is that through all the plans I make and all of the ideas that I may have, in the end it is not my plans or will that ultimately matters. While things may seem important to me from my perspective, in that grand scheme of the Lord’s plan, it may be totally insignificant. On the other side of the matter, something that may seem exceedingly unimportant to me, may be very important to God’s plan in the long-term, even if I can not see it at the present time.

Countless times I have made plans which I thought were extremely important, only to watch them fall apart. Then I would become angry at God for letting my all-important plans crumble and ruining my great scheme. Later though, without fail, I would always see unfold before me a bigger and better plan, and I have always been glad that my original failed plan was done away with. Afterwards I would come back to God with my proverbial tail between my legs in humility, forced to acknowledge my error and admit that He does indeed know better than I do.

Now, had I actually forgotten that God knows better than I do and has a better plan? Not really… but I had gotten so caught up in my own plans and ideas that I had neglected to check whether this is what He wants for my life, or whether this was the direction He wants me to go in. This is the danger of valuing our plans above His, and this is the beginning of moving off of His course and onto another course that invariably leads to unneeded pain and suffering. This is exactly the situation that is referred to in Proverbs 19:21:

“There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.”

When we start to rely on ourselves and begin to ignore the path of the Lord, we set ourselves up for failure and frustration as well as all kinds of turmoil and trouble.

It simply makes more sense to trust in the one who sees and controls everything to lead us down the proper path and order our steps.

From my own experience I can attest that whenever I have tried to force my own way, it has ended in painful failure, and whenever I have let go of my own desires and trusted in the Lord, I have been glad I did so in the end.

So again my prayer today is that I would remember to more
closely stay connected to Him and trust Him to lead me down the proper path in all areas of my life, and I pray the same for you.