The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. – Psalm 37:23
Several years ago, one of the gifts I found beneath our Christmas tree was a daily planner for the new year. My husband always wraps one for me that I use as a kind of journal. It helps us remember when we need to have the furnace checked, get the fireplace chimney cleaned, make dental appointments, etc. When the year has passed, it is helpful and interesting to be able to look back and see when special events were celebrated, where we were on a certain day, or what the weather was like on this day last year. These planners are meant to help arrange one’s day, week, and even year.
It is good to have a plan, yet, in the end, it is God who plans a Christian’s day. He is looking at a bigger picture than just our lives—God has a plan for the whole world as well as for each individual in it. We do not always know what He has planned next, but what a wonderful and confident feeling it puts in our hearts to know that God is in control. When something goes differently than what we were counting on, we can trust that He has already decided on something else for our day, and it will be far better in the end than what we were expecting.
We want our lives to accommodate God’s plans, and not to stubbornly insist on our own. When we are submitted to God, He can change our direction in a moment, and that is a good thing! If circumstances make us miss an event that we had wanted to be at, we can trust that we did not really miss anything at all. We might have even avoided something harmful, or perhaps God wanted us somewhere else for a purpose of His own. God could be directing us to someone who needs to hear the Good News that Jesus saves!
Make your plans for today or next week, but always with the knowledge that they are subject to change if God so chooses. He has the very best plan for every day, and as the focus verse promises, we will be delighted in our way when we are following God’s path for us.