“Many are the plans in the mind of a man but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
– Proverbs 19:21
Proverbs 19:21 is a good word, isn’t it? Like many are the plans in the mind of a man. You think about all the plans you and I have come up with at different points in our lives, we’re like we’re going to do this, we’re going to do that. Like the plans of our mind come and go. They vary, they shift.
We think about some plans we’ve made that we thought were the greatest thing in the world. Like if only this could happen and then they actually did happen, and we realized that wasn’t the greatest thing in the world. That actually wants helpful at all. So our plans created by our finite minds are often times, let’s be honest, foolish minds and I don’t mean that to sound overly negative but just to be real. Like, we often make foolish plans because we don’t have all knowledge, we don’t have all perspective. We make plans, we don’t realize how it’s going to affect this person or that person.
It is good to know that it is only the purpose of the all-wise God that will stand. Let’s submit our plans to His purpose.
We make plans for our lives that we don’t realize it’s going to lead to this or that. And so in the end we make some foolish plans. It is good to know that, like Proverbs 19:21 says, it’s the purpose of the Lord that will stand. That God’s purpose, he doesn’t flounder, he has all knowledge, he has all perspective, he never has done or will do anything foolish. Never. He’s all wise.
It’s good to know that it’s only the purpose of the all wise God that will stand. So doesn’t that lead us then to pray today and just submit our plans to his purpose. To pray oh God, you are all wise, you are all good, everything you do is good and your purposes will be accomplished. And we are so thankful for that. We are so thankful because your purpose is good, it is good because it brings you glory and it is good because by your grace, it’s good for us.
Oh God we praise you. That your purpose involves the salvation of sinners for the glory of your name. That your purpose is to save sinners like me, like others who are listening to this by the cross of Christ that we might be reconciled to you, that we might live in relationship with you that will last forever, for eternal life. We are so thankful that, that purpose will stand.
Proverbs 19:21 Reminds Us to Submit to The Plans Of The God Of The Universe.
So God we yield our plans to you today, we lay our plans down and we pray have your way. Have your way in our lives, have your way in our families, have your way in our churches, have your way with us we pray. Lead us, guide us, direct us according to your purposes, not our plans. And as we make plans which we need to do and comes to this or that in our lives, please, please, please help us to yield our plans continually to you. And to make our plans in accordance with our purpose, in alignment with your purpose.
Help us to plan for the spread of your glory in the world. Help us to plan for the spread of your gospel in others’ lives. Help us to plan for your love, your mercy, your grace through made known through whatever plans we make. Because we know this is ultimately your purpose. Because we want our plans ultimately to fulfill your purpose that will stand. So we pray yielding our plans to you for the accomplishment of your purpose in our lives, in Jesus name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
