Plans that Change

 

          Robert Burns said in a poem, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” The line from the poem is perhaps one of the more remembered lines from a poem entitled, “To a Mouse.” We don't need to much imagination to adapt the line to our present lives. We make our plans for the next day and often find them changed ever so slightly by one incident often times quite small at the time. We can often begin our day the night before as we lay out our clothes all perfectly matched, either browns, or blacks, or navy blue. Then, in the morning the shoe lace breaks on the pair of black shoes that go with the day's planned apparel. You have no other black shoe laces but you do have a good pair of brown shoes. Now, the temptation is to completely change the color scheme from the ground up or do you wear your brown shoes with good laces in an outfit brought together with black shoes. Yes, our plans often go awry for even the simplest of accidents such as the cup of coffee that I just spilled on my desk. James 4:13-14 says, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” 

          God has much to say about our plants and quickly points out that we are not guaranteed a tomorrow or that it may go in another direction than that which we had planned. Romans 8 makes a good contrast between living after the guidance of the flesh or living rightly after the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is not that we don't plan but we seek to plan things in light of the Word of God rather in light of our own desires. Jonah is a good example of doing exactly the opposite thing from what God had commanded. God told him to go to Nineveh and He went in the opposite direction, seeking to book passage on a ship heading to Tarshish Jonah was hoping to flee from the presence of the Lord but he didn't know the impossibility of such an endeavor. It is impossible for us to flee from God's presence and Psalm 139 gives evidence of that impossibility. As Robert Burns said, our plans often go awry. It doesn't seem to stop us from making plans but we are not as surprised when they hit a bump in the road. The Apostle Paul is another example of having great plans as he and his team started out on the second missionary journey. Twice the Holy Spirit stopped his course of direction until he just decided to stop over in Troas and wait for God to give him direction. God did in the Macedonian call and the next day they all set sail to Greece to preach the gospel to a group of people who were hungry for the Word of God. Maybe God has changed your plans today. Perhaps He has a new course in which you are to go. While the plans of mice and men may go awry, remember that God always has the right plan for your life each and everyday. Praise God today for His leading in all of our lives.