My Plans, God’s Sovereignty

Back in my high school days, I couldn’t wait to finish school. The idea of been a citizen thrilled me. You know, not having to be subjected to school protocols (kuvaa uniform, no long nails, hakuna kuchana nywele style, etc.) I couldn’t wait to say goodbye to all that. At this point let me just put up a disclaimer,  I  liked school and I worked hard. I took my studies seriously, but that freedom as I thought filled my heart.

I had all these plans after high school. Graduate at 21 or 22 years and get a good job, get a master’s degree by 25 yrs. Pursue a Ph.D. and probably finish studies by the time I hit 40years. Then to the matters of the heart hehe. Get married before 30 to my Mr. Right, as they say, my prince charming, my beloved. Have kids before 35 and bring them up as a great mum. My plans were complex, to start with I love traveling, so I envisioned traveling a lot. Work for an international company to get the opportunity to travel the world. Go on vacations with bae and kids. Did I mention a spectacular wedding! I genuinely love weddings and an out of this world proposal (blame the soap operas). Retire early and become a great investor. That was my ideal plan for life.

Now, if you haven’t noticed yet,  all these plans are purely self- centered. I didn’t have plans on how I would grow in the knowledge of the Scriptures. Am not saying they were wrong but pause to see that I didn’t include “If God wills.” I believed I could achieve all these things as long as I have a positive attitude, believe it and work hard. Not to forget I could claim it in the spiritual realm isn’t that the norm? It has been four years down the line since I cleared high school (am 23) and am only beginning to get on my feet in regards to studies.

Talk about prince charming, I always believed as long as you know how to play the game of relationship bae will stay right? It’s only dawning on my heart that a good relationship ought to be God-centered, intentional and marriage oriented. Dating with an intention to marry is a hold for now as I plead with the Lord to work on my heart to fully comprehend how He designed relationships to be. Am patiently waiting on the Lord that if it pleases Him, one day He will grant me the gift of marriage. So what about traveling, I have never been out of Kenya and have only visited a few places in Kenya. Am not yet 40years to complain and say none of these came to pass, but I want you to see the prideful attitude I had as I visualized my life after high school.

It is important that you understand that am not bashing off these plans but zooming in to where my trust was as I made my plans and if they aligned with God’s Word. Planning is very important; we shouldn’t live aimlessly, so I want us to look at what the Bible exhorts us on the same. So let’s focus together on;

 JAMES (4: 13-16)

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

In this particular text, James was talking about business people or merchants, but it broadly addresses everyone. He is not against wise business planning but rather planning that leaves God out. We can easily say we put our plans before God, but our hearts are so prideful that we can accomplish everything on our own. So am not going to talk about business planning at all but the general plans we make in our lives.

In verse 14, we’re told that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We make plans, but it is in God’s hands how tomorrow will be. In Jesus’ teaching He exhorts us in (Matthew 6:34) “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. He knew very well we would make plans for the following day and be anxious if all our plans would come to pass. We are encouraged not to worry for we don’t know about tomorrow.

In the same verse, James tells us that our lives are like a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. He uses this to show us the transitory nature of life. We are born into this world, stay for a while as God wills then we disappear.  This shows us that how long we live is totally up to God. The Psalmist echoes this profoundly in (Psalms 39: 5) Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!

As we make our plans, we ought to remember that God gets to approve if they will come to pass or not. We all want our dreams to come to pass, but at the end of the day, God’s purposes will stand. (Isaiah 46: 9-10) Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose. The author of Proverbs explains well that we are to make plans in our lives but explicitly reminds us the final word is from the Lord. (Proverbs 16:1) The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. (Proverbs 19:21) Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

The heart of this message in verse 15. It shows the Sovereignty of God. James says “If the Lord wills.” It is crystal clear that God is sovereign over all of my plans.  In Matthew Henry’s commentary on this text he writes, “We must remember that our times are not in our own hands, but at the disposal of God; we live as long as God appoints, and in the circumstances God appoints, and therefore must be submissive to him, even as to life itself. If the Lord will, we shall do this or that. All our actions and designs are under the control of Heaven.” I realize I made so many plans, but now am learning that God’s Sovereignty rules over them all. So then, the true Christian submits his or her plans to the Lordship of Christ.

It is vital to embrace the will of God even when we feel our plans didn’t go our way. One of the best examples of embracing God’s will in the Bible is our very own Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the garden of Gethsemane as He pleaded with God,  the father about dying on the cross for our wicked sins. That experience! We can’t even fathom how Jesus felt, but He submitted Himself to the will of God the Father. (Matthew 26:39)And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Beloved, I want us to understand that submitting to God’s will on our own is very hard. It is only through the help of the Holy Spirit who enables us to understand that God works all things for good. As we make plans lets embrace fully from our hearts, “If the Lord wills.” Yes, we make plans, but we joyfully submit to the sovereignty of God. I pray that we desire that God will give or withdraw from us whatever He wills. I also pray we would desire what God wills, how He wills and when He wills to fulfill the desires of our hearts.

I want to encourage us that above all we ought to desire to live and make plans for God’s glory. He knows what’s best for us so as we make plans we ought to align with His Word not just for our selfish- desires. I will wrap this post with lyrics from Kari Jobe’s song-Cause of Christ. This song ministers to my soul hope it will bless you too.

The only thing I want in life is to be known for loving Christ to build His church

To love His bride

And make His name known far and wide

For this, cause I live

For this, cause I’d die

I surrender all

For the cause of Christ

All I once held dear

I will leave behind

For my joy is this

Oh the cause of Christ

He is all my soul will prize

Regardless of the joy or trial

When agonizing questions rise

In Jesus, all my hope abides

Jesus my Jesus

For Your glory for Your name

Jesus my Jesus

I will only sing your praise

It is not fame that I desire

Nor stature in my brother’s eye

I pray it’s said about my life

That I lived more to build Your name than mine.

Blessings.