Man Proposes, God Disposes

Paul completed his mission of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the territories where he had ministered up to the present time. He now shares with the believers in Rome a project that he has on his heart, namely, that of preaching the Gospel in Spain—to the extreme western reaches of the Roman empire. Paul’s immediate mission at hand, however, is to deliver an offering to the poor among the Jerusalem saints.

In exposing his heartfelt plan, Paul was submitting it to them and to God. He uses the occasion to request their intercessory prayers as well as a partnership, in order that the will of God might be accomplished.

Like Paul’s, our projects and plans need to be well planned and well prepared. We need to put special emphasis on having them placed before God for his approval. This will ensure that his will is done—not ours!

It is not known for certain whether Paul’s project for visiting Spain ever materialized or not. However, we do know that God led him to Rome three or four years later. This trip was not without numerous detours and dangerous circumstances. Needless to say, they were not part of Paul’s original plan! (You can read about this in Acts 21:27-28:31.)

Sometimes our projects for serving the Lord unfold in a similar fashion. Our projects can even develop slowly in stages, sometimes they even turn out to be the exact opposite of what we had envisioned!

Fortunately, like Paul, we eventually come to the realization that those seemingly negative circumstances and events were actually, in the long run, what led us to accomplish God’s plan.

So then, let’s have confidence in the Lord and let’s entrust our work, plans and projects into his keeping, knowing that he is indeed sovereign and that he is responsible for all results! He alone has the final word.

Respond in Prayer

Lord, Your Word says that men and women make their plans but that it is you, who in the end, finalizes everything by your decision (Proverbs16:1). I want to put my trust in you for whatever I undertake for you. I want to push forward while looking carefully to your leading. I recognize that all results totally belong to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Donald Tardif