Make Plans Without God | Northstar Church

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass —Psalm 37:5

It is hard to imagine a company or church being successful without planning and goal setting. Conversely, it is easy to imagine a company or church succeeding if they just plan well enough or persist long enough. While planning helps and is necessary, it is not enough.

Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.” Ultimately, we cannot do anything of lasting value unless God blesses our work. The Apostle Paul reminds the believers at Corinth: “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:6)

This verses does not diminish the work of Paul or of Apollos. Both men possessed incredible faith and courage. They remained committed. They endured setbacks without losing heart. But, they knew it was fruitful because God “made it grow.”

A farmer understands this metaphor all too well. A farmer can till and fertilize the soil, plant the seed, chase off any animal which is trying to eat the seed, and irrigate or water the fields. But he can’t make it rain. Nor can he stop storms. The bottom line, the farmer, whether he acknowledges it or not, is dependent on God for a successful harvest.

Do you often wonder why your plans don’t work out? You’ve done your best, you thought of everything, you’ve laid it all out and somehow it didn’t work. Why didn’t it work? I’ll tell you one reason it doesn’t work in many cases. It doesn’t work because you leave God out. You plan according to your knowledge and your understanding, and your resources and what you want to accomplish in life, where you want to go but you leave God out of the planning. We need God to be a vital, living factor in our lives. The only thing that will secure an insecure future is to bring God into our plans.

It is crucial to develop the habit of inviting God into all of our plans from day one, whenever they may be. First of all, to allow Him to confirm if the plans are actually coming from Him, and second so that we can receive His wisdom, advice, and help. The Bible says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Proverbs 16:3, NIV)

We don’t know what tomorrow holds. To plan, is just to guess. To do as He says today takes away the guess work away. Whatever your plan or dream is, consult God first and foremost.

Discussion Questions:

Where does planning fit in your life? Do you plan daily for activities?
How does God fit into that decision making process?