God's Plans and Our Plans

I have been using “The Grace for the Moment Daily Bible” for my daily Bible reading. It is one of those Bibles that has 365 Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs readings, one for each day of the calendar year. I bought it for two reasons— first, it was the New Century Version, and I wanted to use an unfamiliar translation rather than the original language (the NIV). Second, it only cost me only $11.00 at Sam’s Club. I was going to use the NLT, but it is hard to beat $11 .00!

I am sure that all these Bibles do is to parse the Bible into 365 readings more or less by size, but it is interesting how often the days readings from the different sections of the Bible seem to have a related theme. I guess that shouldn’t be a shock since all parts share a common Author. Notice today’s reading, for example.

• The Old Testament reading is 1 Samuel 22-23 where David is on the run from Saul. Saul kills a whole town because one priest helps David by giving him food and a weapon, and then Saul “was making evil plans” (23:9) to trap David in the city of Keliah. David prays to God who leads David to leave the city one step ahead of the posse. Saul was under the illusion that God was helping him in his evil schemes (23:7), but God has other plans.

• The Psalm reading is Psalm 59 which the superscription ascribes to this same phase in David’s life. David talks about evil men with evil plans, and yet God has plans of His own. “But, Lord, you laugh at them; you make fun of all of them” (59:8). David faith allows him to turn this time on the run into an opportunity of praise. “God, my strength, I will sing praises to you. God, my defender, you are the God who loves me” (59:17).

• The proverb for today was Proverbs 16:1- “People may make plans in their minds, but only the Lord can make them come true.” We may think we have plans, but ultimately everything works out according to God’s Day-Timer.
  

• The New Testament reading is the prologue of John, that amazing word about the Word that became flesh and lived among us. The ultimate plan of God was worked out among human beings. The world had other plans— it lived in darkness, but the plan of God was for His Light to come into our world.

God’s plans and our plans. We may want to boldly proclaim with Invictus, “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” But then, we know better, don’t we? We live our lives at times like we are large-and-in-charge with all kinds of plans and preparations, and we are really in charge of very little. Ultimately, the only lasting power that we have is the power to put our faith and trust our lives to the Sovereign God has control over all things.