Introduction: We have more access to information and knowledge than ever before, but we are still so confused, conflicted, and divided. What must we do? The book of Proverbs teaches us that wisdom is the missing piece of the puzzle, the lost treasure of our time. We must rediscover it, ourselves and as a church, if we are to stand firm in a world drowning in information but lacking in wisdom. This Fall, let’s come together to “get wisdom” and allow it to reorient our lives, our families, and our communities.
The Difficulty of Planning: Proverbs has a lot to say about planning in the context of God’s plans. To pursue a path of wisdom requires understanding that things don’t automatically work out the way we planned even with our best planning. This reality was made apparent to all of us during the Covid-19 pandemic that changed the world and all of our plans as a result. There is not a single person alive whose plans did not radically change, which should humble us in many ways. Regardless of what life brings, wisdom calls us not to abandon planning but to plan our best and then place our ultimate hope in a sovereign God whose plans are greater than our own. As we reorient ourselves and our families to planning, we can learn from the Proverbs to help us navigate the difficulty and anxiety of planning.
1. Make Your Plans
The book of Proverbs teaches us very clearly - make plans. If you want anything good to happen in your life, you cannot leave it to happen by accident! What does it teach us about what kind of plans to make?
Prov 14:22 - “Don’t those who plan evil go astray? But those who plan good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Prov 12:20 - “Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy.”
Prov 21:5 - “The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit, but all those who hurry end up with loss.”
Prov 19:2 - “Even zeal is not good without knowledge, and the one who acts hastily sins.”
The clear teaching of these proverbs taken together is that meeting God and experiencing his steadfast love, finding joy, making a profit, and having success all come from planning well. Planning encourages us not to live haphazardly or just go with the flow, as tempting as that may be. The Hebrew word for planning includes counting, calculating, thinking, and devising. The planning process takes time and patience as we consider various factors and careful steps to reach our goals. It is no surprise then that those who constantly hurry or make hasty plans are the antithesis of wise planning.
Prov 24:27 - “Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field; afterward, build your house.”
We should not be discouraged by the concept of planning because it is not as overwhelming as we think. This proverb reminds us that even a little planning can often yield great results. The wise sage tells us not to get lost on the final step (building the house) but to consider what work is accessible (outdoor work and preparing the field) in the context of the process. If we take some time to make our plans, we might be shocked at how quickly we arrive at the next step. This is especially important in the context of our spiritual formation. How many of us get lost in our planning for life, and we completely forget about God? Do you have a plan for how you want to grow spiritually, develop your character, or bless others in neighborly love? We should not expect short bursts of inspiration to sustain our spiritual lives any more than neglecting planning to help us arrive at our earthly goals.
2. Don’t Trust your Plans
The Proverbs teach us very clearly to make plans but that we should not completely trust in our plans. This might sound like a contradiction, but it is a realistic lesson for us as created beings with limited knowledge and insight into the future. Let’s dig a little deeper to understand:
Prov 12:15 - “A fool’s way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise.”
Prov 15:22 - “Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
These proverbs tell us that if a plan is only right in your own eyes, you have neglected some components of wise planning. Have you ever thought through a project or a plan only to realize that when you shared it with someone else, you realized something that you missed? Wise planning involves seeking wisdom in the counsel of others you trust so that you gain a better perspective on the goal of your plans. Even the fool makes plans, but his plans are not associated with wisdom because they forsake counsel.
Prov 11:3 - “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them.”
Prov 12:5 - “The plans of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.”
Prov 16:2 - “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit.”
Planning does not come from nothing. Planning emerges from our character, and our character is more limited than we often think. These proverbs remind us to keep an eye toward the spirit or motives of our planning. Wise counsel is important not only for the details of your plan but helping you weigh parts of your character that have gone into your planning.
Prov 27:1 - “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”
Prov 16:25 - “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.”
The hardest lesson for many of us from the Covid-19 pandemic is that even if we apply all the elements of wise planning, we are still too limited to see what tomorrow will bring. A perennial truth of the human condition is that not only do we not know what a day will bring, but that we cannot know what a day may bring. This is why many elaborate institutional plans include contingencies should something unexpected occur. Similarly, the military always considers likely or dangerous possible outcomes in the accomplishment of a mission. What seems right to us could lead to death! This reality calls our attention not to place our ultimate trust in our plans, but in Someone beyond our plans.
3. Trust God’s Plans
Prov 16:1 - “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.”
Prov 16:4 - “The LORD works out everything to its proper end-even the wicked for a day of disaster.”
Prov 20:24 - “A person’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand their own way?”
The Proverbs point to a powerful theological conclusion that resounds across the whole Bible: God has a plan that is absolutely comprehensive and unassailable. His plan ultimately transcends our own plans, but it also pervades our plans, even to the very minuscule details. This is difficult to wrap our minds around, but that never means we should give up.
Prov 16:9 - “A person’s heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps.”
Prov 19:21 - “Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the LORD’s decree will prevail.”
The Bible teaches that the relationship between God’s plans and our plans is compatible. Theologians call this concept compatibilism. This teaches us that there is a mysterious union between the truth that God’s plans encompass whatever comes to pass and the truth that our plans are necessary for us to have joy, achieve our goals, and live in His faithful love. What we find is a paradoxical comfort that enables us to consider our plans but not to be overwhelmed or controlled by the outworking of our plans.
Prov 21:30 - “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.”
Acts 2:23-24 - “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”
The good news is that no human plan can succeed against the Lord. The great preacher C.H. Spurgeon says, “when you go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head.” What we find in Jesus Christ is that even the worst schemes developed by humanity can be redeemed as part of God’s plan for joy, hope, and salvation. Though the hands of lawless men killed him, it was the Lord’s will to raise him up in glory. We trust that the Lord reveals his plan to us generally in the Scriptures but that He withholds many specifics because they would hinder us, distract us, and overwhelm us.
4. Commit Your Plans
Prov 16:3 - “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
We are encouraged to commit our plans to the Lord because He alone can establish the future. The word for “commit” here means literally to “roll onto.” This does not mean that we merely tell God about our plans or ask him to bless them, but the opposite. We “roll” our plans onto God as the firm foundation for everything we do and hope for, knowing that He will establish us regardless of the outcome. If our plans do not succeed, then we still have solid ground beneath us, and from this foundation, we can pray, seek wisdom, and respond with hope. A loving parent would tell a young child not to worry about things they can’t comprehend but to trust them even in the most difficult times. Similarly, God is our firmest foundation for planning and simultaneously the gentlest comfort for our souls.
REFLECT OR DISCUSS
1. What is one instance you can recall about the difficulty of planning in the past year? How did you adapt your approach to planning?
2. Are you more of a planner or a go-with-the-flow kind of person? What are some strengths and weaknesses of both approaches?
3. Why do we sometimes make detailed plans for some things in life (education, career) but fail to make plans for our spiritual formation and growth?
4. What reasons from this lesson stick out most to you as to why we should not trust our plans? Which of the limits do you most struggle with?
5. Do you struggle with how to make sense of the compatibility between the sovereignty of God’s plans and the necessity of your own planning? How can we find comfort in the truth that these things are compatible – even when we don’t understand how?
6. In the sermon in was mentioned that it can be hard for us that God doesn’t show “his work” (ie how his specific plans for us result in his ultimate plan for us). Is this difficult for you? How?
7. Where is it most difficult for you - right now – to roll what your plans and hopes onto the Lord?
8. How does the gospel help us trust that God can bring good even out of the worst of our human plans? How does this encourage you?