Proverbs 19:21 - Make Plans According to Gods Will for His Purpose Will Prevail.
Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) Many are the plans of a
persons heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that
prevails.
Proverbs 19:21 (NLT) You can make many
plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail.
COMMENTARY PEARL
The natural inclination in Christian
living is to act on the impulse of a good idea. Not
every good idea is from God. Sometimes good ideas
get in the way of God ideas.
Where does your inspiration come from?
The vision of the transfigured Christ inspired
Peter: "O Lord, it is good for us to be here. If
you wish, I will put up three shelters - one for
you, one for Moses and one for Elijah" (Matthew
17:4). Our natural impulse is to do something good
for God and suggest it to Him.
The tendency of the well-meaning person
is to prepare a plan to do some good idea, and
then pray, "Jesus, this is my plan. It is a good
plan. It hurts no one, and I want it to please
You. Lord, please bless my plan." It is plan,
then pray.
So many of our ideas are impetuous. They
are not what the Lord wants to do. They do not
resemble in any way the things which concern Him. We
have good ideas, but they are not God ideas. His
agenda and our agenda conflict. We want to build
Him a shelter but that is not what He wants....
When Peter, James, and John heard the voice of
the Lord . . . they abandoned their
inventive-but-self-made idea. The presence of the Lord magnified,
and His holiness brought them to their senses.
Jesus gained their attention, not by subduing them
with a stem scolding, but by magnifying His
presence until all the genius of their human ideas
was bleached out by His refulgent face.
When they abandoned their good idea and
fell facedown before the Lord, He could work with
them again....
When you and I abandon our good idea and
fall to our face before me Lord, then He will
come and touch us, too. When we pursue our own
plan He cannot use us. We must abandon our good
idea and fall facedown before Him. Then He will
be able to use us again. Then He will reveal
what He is doing - a God idea.... It is pray,
then plan. Through prayer, Jesus instructs of His
plan, a God idea.
Prayer removes the impulse of the good
idea, the good idea born of human ingenuity but
not of God. Pray, then plan. It is the habit of
the surrendered saint. (From Walking with Christ
in the Details of Life by Patrick M. Morley)
[Inspirational SB re Mat. 13:12]
COMMENTARY
The person who refuses to follow "the Lord's
counsel" as it is found in Scripture pursues
foolishness (cf. Deut. 32:28, 29). The Bible is full of
clear directions from God concerning practical
Christian living, and Jesus in His life applied those
principles perfectly to give us an example (1 Pet.
2:21). God's counsel is immutable (Heb. 6:17),
faithful (Isa. 25:1), wonderful (Isa. 9:6; 28:29),
great (Jer. 32:19), sovereign (Dan. 4:35), and
eternal (Eph. 3:11) Godly counsel is built upon
the foundational premise that there is an
infinite and personal God who has revealed Himself
through His written word, the Bible, and through the
living Word, Jesus Christ. Godly counsel is not
man-centered (i.e., doing things one's own way,
controlling one's behavior by his own feelings or
thoughts) but rather is God-centered (i.e., going
God's way regardless of what one wants or thinks).
[Believers SB]
A wise person commits his or her plans to
the Lord (see 16:3). A person whose plans oppose
the Lord (as in Ps. 2:1"3) may actually become
Gods enemy. But the person whose ways are from
God will certainly succeed (see also 16:1, 9).
[Nelson SB]
Let no one overtax his God-given powers in
an effort to advance the Lord's work more
rapidly. The power of man cannot hasten the work;
with this must be united the power of heavenly
intelligences. Only thus can the work of God be brought to
perfection. Man cannot do God's part of the work. A Paul
may plant, and an Apollos water, but God gives
the increase. In simplicity and meekness man is
to co-operate with divine agencies, at all
times doing his best, yet ever realizing that God
is the great Master Workman. Then let our
zeal in labor be tempered with reason; let us
cease our efforts to do that which the Lord alone
can accomplish. [7T298.2]
Sinful men and fallen angels may devise
countless schemes to prevent the Lord from carrying
out His eternal purposes; nevertheless the
counsels of God will be accomplished and the universe
eventually cleansed from both sin and sinners. God
expects His servants to submit their plans to His
overruling providence. [SDA Bible Commentary]
ILLUSTRATION
Jake's Story
Our Wheels for the World team arrived in
a small town in Poland to distribute 225
wheelchairs and Bibles. Before the day had hardly begun,
however, their plans were in shreds. The assigned
room was tiny and cramped. But before anyone
could come up with a plan B, streams of families
with disabled children began pouring through the
doors. The place quickly became packed and noisy.
Everything was thrown into confusion. "Lord Jesus," the
team prayed together, may your purpose prevail
here." Then they went to work greeting families,
assessing needs, locating pre-assigned wheelchairs,
and sharing the Gospel of Jesus at every
opportunity.
The afternoon wore on. A tired father,
carrying his little five-year-old disabled boy on his
back, finally reached the head of the line. But
when he lifted his son into the pre-assigned
chair, his shoulders slumped. It didn't fit! "I am
so sorry!" our seating specialist exclaimed,
"this is the wrong chair." But there were only a
few chairs left. Pushing aside several adult
chairs, she reached for a child-sized one. But it
was highly customized, with side supports -
including blue leather backing with "Jake" stitched
across the middle. In the end, there was no other
choice. It was that chair or nothing. When the
father lifted his boy into the new chair, it fit
perfectly! An interpreter exclaimed, "It's like it was
made for him"
"By the way, what is your son's name?"
someone asked the boy's mother. "Jakob," she replied
- and everyone gasped! When an interpreter
explained to the boy's mystified parents that "Jake"
is the shortened version of Jakob - they, too,
cried for joy. The whole family - along with
almost sixty others - opened their hearts to
receive Jesus that day. The Lord's purpose had
prevailed!
If you are struggling today with a
plan-gone-haywire in your life, take comfort in Proverbs
19:21. The Lord's purpose will prevail.
Father, help me to see through the
strands of my shredded plans that if your purposes
are truly my purposes, your heart's desire will
prevail. [Joni Eareckson Tada Daily Devotional:
http://www.joniandfriends.org/daily-devotional]
CLOSING PEARL
Defeating Distractions
Dr. Daniel Amen says, "In a world where
there are so many distractions competing for our
attention, it is more important than ever to focus on
God's plan, promises, and priorities for your
life." We need time each day when the television
and social media are turned off so that we can
think deeply about what God has in mind for us.
According to media strategist Melissa
Leiter, the lifespan of a Twitter tweet can be as
brief as a couple of seconds. A Facebook post
might remain in a newsfeed for two hours. By
contrast, God's words have lasted for centuries and
will keep on lasting. His plans are eternal. He
has known you from the foundation of the world,
and his purposes for you are unchanging and
profoundly good.
Take some time today to tune out the
fleeting messages the world is sending you so that
you can think about what's eternal. This will
put into perspective the short-term plans that
crowd your heart, and then you'll be able to hear
and agree with the Lord's purposes for you.
Screening out the distractions that
clamor for your attention will give you a clear
mind to focus on what really matters. [The Daniel
Plan 365-Day Devotional]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Listen to Me continually. I have much to
communicate to you, so many people and situations in
need of prayer. I am training you to set your
mind on Me more and more, tuning out distractions
through the help of My Spirit.
Walk with Me in holy trust, responding to
My initiatives rather than trying to make
things fit your plans. I died to set you free, and
that includes freedom from compulsive planning.
When your mind spins with a multitude of
thoughts, you cannot hear My voice. A mind preoccupied
with planning pays homage to the idol of control.
Turn from this idolatry back to Me. Listen to Me
and live abundantly! (John 8:36; Pro. 19:21;
John 10:27) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
Trust Me enough to spend ample time with
Me, pushing back the demands of the day. Refuse
to feel guilty about something that is so
pleasing to Me, the King of the universe. Because I
am omnipotent, I am able to bend time and
events in your favor. You will find that you can
accomplish more in less time, after you have given
yourself to Me in rich communion. Also, as you align
yourself with My perspective, you can sort out what
is important and what is not.
Don't fall into the trap of being
constantly on the go. Many, many things people do in My
Name have no value in My kingdom. To avoid doing
meaningless works, stay in continual communication with
Me. I will instruct you and teach you in the way
you should go; I will counsel you with My eye
upon you. (Luke 10:41, 42; Psalm 32:8) [Jesus
Calling by Sarah Young]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Proverbs 19:21 - Finding The Plan For
Success.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20080724-1207.html
Proverbs 16:9 - Divine Detours.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210923-0844.html
Isaiah 14:24 - God is Sovereign.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2010/20100915-1237.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
