Our Plans and His
Be Thou My Vision, O Lord Of My Life!
Lately I have been in a season of seeking direction while dealing with disappointment and uncertainty. Sometimes perspective can be difficult to maintain, as our perspective is so very narrow and limited in comparison to our Creator's.
Today as I was spending time in prayer with the hope of gaining some perspective, I flipped open to II Chronicles 25, and verse 9 verse stuck out to me, demonstrating so clearly and concisely the truth of what it means to trust God:
“Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?” The man of God replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that.””
Amaziah became king over Judah, well after the kingdom had been split in two. He had mustered all of the men of twenty years and over, in a total of 300 000 men, and in addition had hired one hundred thousand of the mightiest men of Israel, the descendants of Ephraim. Amaziah had paid them the equivalent of 3.4 metric tons of silver, and was preparing to go to battle against Seir. (The Kingdom of Israel, unlike the Kingdom of Judah, was not currently walking with the Lord, but had been persisting in disobedience and rebellion against God.)
Prior to battle, a man of God came to Amaziah, and warned him not to go to battle:
“O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—all these Ephraimites. Rather, go by yourself and act; be strong in battle, or God will fling you down before the enemy; for God has power to help or to overthrow.” 2 Chronicles 25:8
Amaziah had been less concerned with the heart condition of his army, and more concerned about winning the battle. God did not want Amaziah teaming up with Israel, who were not following Him, but were pursuing evil and idolatry. His strategy involved relying on human strength rather than on the Lord's strength and guidance. God offers Amaziah a choice: he can choose to follow and obey Him, experiencing victory and blessing, or he can choose to do it his own way, and experience failure and disappointment. Victory would be found in the Lord, not in opposing the Lord.
Amaziah wanted to obey God and follow His leading, but it meant totally giving up his plans to trust in a God who saw the greater picture. He had the option to try to succeed in his own plans and purposes—and fail—or he could submit himself to the Lord and receive abundantly more than he was hoping for. His vision was much too narrow and small, and God wanted to enlarge it.
Amaziah worried about the massive amount of money he spent on the Israelite troops, but God assured him that the silver is nothing compared to what He was able to give him if he trusted Him. Amaziah chose to listen to the man of God, and sent the Israelite troops back home. He did achieve victory over Seir as promised, though unfortunately, his wisdom was short-lived, and he foolishly rebelled and chose his own way shortly after. Though it was the Lord who gave him the victory, he decided to serve the gods of Seir whom he plundered from the people, giving glory to their lifeless forms instead of the Almighty God. This choice of rebellion and disobedience resulted in his downfall, leaving only a silent shadow of a future that could have been, if only he had continued after the Lord.
“The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.” Psalm 33:10-11
Amaziah's question of “but what about...?” echoes similar questions we have in our own hearts, as we strive to live in obedience to God. Stepping out into the unknown is unnerving and intimidating, and it is so much more natural to want to have everything under our control. Releasing control and putting our futures in God's hands is not easy by any stretch, but that is what He requires of us. We have to acknowledge our own weakness and our inability to do it all on our own, and be ready and willing to accept His help, wisdom and leadership.
In seasons of seeking direction and contemplating plans for the future, (as I am currently facing), it can be challenging to maintain perspective and keep our eyes on Him, while patiently waiting for His plan to unfold. I find myself struggling like Amaziah did, worrying about the details and logistics, the “what ifs” and the endless possibilities. I want to hold on to at least a small amount of control, something to fall back on, because I sometimes just don't see how things will all work out. When God told Amaziah that He needed to release the Israelite troops to return home in order to follow Him, Amaziah had a hard time just “throwing away” all that money. God's response was simply, “Don't worry about that. I can give you so much more!”, and it applies to each one of us wanting to follow Him. If we only let go of our plans and expectations, we can allow Him to replace with visions and dreams so much more than we could have come up with ourselves. If we trust the little we have to Him, He is able to increase it and bless it abundantly.
Often it seems scary to surrender it all and wholeheartedly trust God without knowing the outcome, but the rewards are great, and well worth the sacrifice. Amaziah had no idea what possibilities the future held. And neither do we. God didn't say, “You don't want to do that, because listen to what I have planned...” He simply asked him, “Do you trust me?”
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
I need to daily remind myself to surrender all my anxiety about the future, and to put my trust in not my plans, but His. When it comes right down to it, I know I would much rather have God's wisdom dictate and guide my life, than my own ignorant and naive attempts to figure it out. In practicality, truly trusting Him with all the details is easier said than done, but my current plan is to simplify my plans down to working on listening and trusting.
“Many plans are in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand.” Proverbs 19:21
“Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3
Lord, let the prayer of my life reflect the words of Christ, in faith, surrendering and declaring, “not my will, but Yours be done”(Luke 22:42).
