A Time To Plan is the third study in our Stewardship series. Is planning a sign that we don’t trust God? After all, if God is in control, shouldn’t we simply trust him and see what happens?
Scripture gives us a different picture. God encourages thoughtful, diligent planning. Proverbs reminds us that “the plans of the diligent lead to profit,” while Jesus uses the commonsense example of someone sitting down to calculate the cost before beginning a building project. Failing to plan isn’t necessarily faith—it can actually be poor stewardship.
Control Tomorrow
But Christian planning is different from trying to control the future. James reminds us how little control we really have. We don’t even know what tomorrow will bring. Instead, Christians learn to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” We make plans, work diligently, and use the reason and wisdom God has given us, while recognizing that God may have something different in mind.
That also means an unsuccessful plan isn’t necessarily a failure. Sometimes God closes the door we wanted open. Sometimes our plans change dramatically. We may only recognize much later how God used that disappointment to provide an unexpected blessing.
Leave Results to God
Christian planning begins with God’s Word. Where Scripture has spoken, God has already made the decision for us. Where God has given us freedom, we use sanctified Christian wisdom to make the best decisions we can.
Then comes perhaps the most freeing part: we leave the results to God. “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” So plan. Think. Prepare. Work diligently. But don’t carry the impossible burden of controlling tomorrow. Make your plans faithfully—and trust the results to your gracious Father.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s study, A Time To Plan.
Please click HERE for the Bible class slides.