God’s way - 13 September 2023

My wife and I like to travel. It is usually nothing elaborate. We just like to get into the car, go somewhere and don’t even mind if we have been to a certain place more than once. We are lovers of the road and really enjoy going to places. It does not matter if it is just to the next town or the long road to Namibia; and we usually try to plan an interesting way to get there.

The shortest route is not necessarily the one we like to use, which sometimes resulted in our plans not working out exactly as we have envisioned. Many times, we have arrived at our destination much later than planned. At other times, we got lost on a gravel backroad and, sometimes, even the GPS took us along roads where we had not actually planned to go.

In much the same way, all of us plan our journey through life. The NIV translation says we make these plans in our “heart”. “Heart”, as used here, depicts our whole being, that is, our soul and mind. We plan where we want to work. We plan our place of residence, finances, family, etc. Everything is planned to the finest detail, but in many instances, things go horribly wrong with our planning. The GPS that we use to do this planning is not always trustworthy, because it is “man made”. It is our planning, our decisions and, therefore, fallible.

Proverbs tells us, in various places, that all our planning will come to nothing if it is not in line with what God plans for us – “God directs your actions”. Many people do not like this idea at all. We like to manage our own destiny and like to have full control of our lives. However, those who plan their lives in the presence of God will always find that his road is the best for us and we will reach the final destination without getting lost.

Prayer: Lord, please save me from myself, who always wants to be in sole control of my life. Help us to be humble before you and thank you for directing our actions every moment. Amen