"Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established." (Proverbs 16:3 NASB)
"The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9 NASB)
Faith happens in the midst of the plans that we make.
I can remember growing up as a child there were many plans that were made, and nearly all of them were switched around and reordered by the Lord in ways that were very unexpected, and yet amazing. One of the stories I remember of such an event was when I was about fourteen and my mom had made the decision to shut down the at home daycare that she had run for years, that allowed her to stay at home and raise my brother and I. At that time finances were hard because my dad was out of a job for a while, due to layoffs at the factory he worked at, so he did a little free-lancing work for a while to make some money while he looked for a new job. And mom was unable to continue her daycare business because there just weren't enough families in the area anymore that were in need of childcare.
I remember there was one day that my mom had gone out to prepare her resume and apply for jobs. As she was driving through town in her car and praying about what she should do, where she should look, the Lord spoke a clear word to her, and told her to go to a preschool that she used to work at nearly 20 years earlier, known as the Kids Garden. Originally my mom wasn't sure about going to apply there, because the management that was there 20 years before was not the best at the time when she worked there. Mom had not planned on applying there or even looking into it, until the Lord brought it to mind.
She wrestled with God on it for a bit. But he reassured her that things were better this time and to go apply there. So finally, after a little while, knowing that God's plans were better than anything else she could ever make for herself, my mom stepped out by faith and applied and inquired about the job. In doing so, she embarked on the greatest adventure of her faith yet and started teaching there as an infant/toddler teacher, and then later a preschool teacher for four- and five-year-olds. Helping children and their families and being a light and a strong witness of the Christian faith to those who needed it. She encouraged, prayed for, counseled and ministered to so many generations in the years that she worked there. I am convinced that if she hadn't followed the direction God had given her in that moment, she would not have been able to minister to so many, and she would not have been able to have and partake in the many other blessings God had in store for her and our family.
Mom really inspired my faith in this way, through this story and many others. One of the most important things she taught me was that even in the midst of the best laid plans that we have as human beings, the steps God places before us are even better than what we could ever dream up in our own limited minds. And when we commit our paths and ways to God and say, "Okay God, this is what is on my heart and mind, but if you have something better, then show me how to walk in that path instead," then we are releasing our worries and trading our limited human plans for something better that the Lord wants to work through. We are quite literally replacing our plans filled with worry and chaos, for steps of faith that lead to peace. And who doesn't want more peace right?
Part of what faith looks like is simply surrendering our own plans for the day and the season, and then walking in the steps God puts in front of us. Which will very often be something that will almost never look like what we are planning ourselves. Just that small, simple step, that act of faith that my mom took created a way for her to make a difference in amazing ways for the kingdom of God. So, commit your steps, your plans to God, and see how the Lord works through all of it. Yes, indeed, faith happens in the midst of the plans that we make.
Allow me to leave you with a couple of questions that you can think and ponder on as you enter into this new week:
What kinds of plans do you feel the Lord calling you to commit to him so that he can work through what he has laid on your heart to do?
Where is the Lord wanting to guide your steps, whether in the big things, or the little things, throughout this week, or even throughout whatever season you are in, and are they different than the plans you have laid out for yourself?
Do you, or can you see God working in the areas that you have surrendered to him, or that you have been called to step into in the way that you see him ordering things?
Are you willing to step out by faith in the places he has called you to this week?
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