Man plans and God laughs

I have to say I’m really bummed about having to postpone our First Annual Worship Outside the Walls event.  I began working on this time of family, fellowship and worship shortly after becoming pastor, and now 7 months of work has been ruined because of an impending storm…in November, none the less!! It’s really frustrating to be so close and have to postpone.

But the truth is, we all know what it is like to have things not go the way we think that they should go.  It happens all the time.  It is a natural part of life.  If you have never had something not go the way you wanted it to go then we need you to share with us the secret to that kind of living.  We all know what it is like to not have things go our way.  That’s no great revelation to anybody reading this.

If I’m being honest, the real problem is not in how things don’t go our way.  The problem is how we respond when things do not go our way.  When things do not go our way our default response is to complain.  We complain when the weather does not accommodate our plans.  We complain when a server doesn’t refill our drinks in a timely manner.  We complain when our well-crafted schedules are interrupted or interfered with.  We complain about people, politics and even our churches when they are not doing as we think they should.  Complaining has become so commonplace in our lives that some have labeled it as our “national pass time” and many think that it is a God given right.
 
The truth is, our well-laid plans fail us.  And one of the reasons why it upsets us so is that it reminds us that, as much as we say otherwise, we are not in control of our lives.   Oh we try.  We work very hard to be in the driver’s seat, to steer things in the way we want them to go.  But then a hurricane shows up after 7 months of planning and you’re faced with the fact that the amount of control you actually have over your life is pretty minimal.  It reminds me of a line from one of Tricia’s favorite songs, “Man plans and God laughs.”

But His words are not our words.  His ways are not our ways.  God has a plan, and that plan may not be the same as ours.  Of course, a part of human nature is that we will work hard to try and take matters into our own hands. But ask yourself this, have you ever tried to take matters into your own hands? Did it work out?
If you’re anything like me, the answer is a resounding no.  Sometimes, we are simply called to step out in faith.  Abraham praised God beneath the stars — even though he didn’t understand how he’d ever become the father of nations.  David praised God in the wilderness — even though he didn’t understand why he was running for his life instead of sitting on the throne.  The Israelites praised God with a mighty shout — even though they didn’t understand that Jericho’s wall would fall without a fight.  Still, it requires that you “let go and let God.”, and learning to trust God, learning to walk with God means that we keep working on a relationship with God regardless of what happens in life, no matter how small or large we think it may be.

Last Sunday, I challenged you all to step out in faith and trust God when you got your Commitment Cards in the mail.  Remember that you may not know what God’s plan for you is, and it might just start with what you write on that card, how you decide to donate your time or talent.  What we might consider small gifts may be just what God is counting on.  And remember, no matter what the Lord has planned for you, and whether or not He has revealed His plan to you yet, you are not alone in the journey. We have no reason to fear. Rather, we should embrace the uncertainty, rejoicing in the truth that no matter what happens, the Lord is with us.