My Plans and God's Purpose

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. – Proverbs 19:21 ESV

In May 1985 I was called by the congregation of Kanawha City Baptist Church in Charleston, WV to serve as their full-time pastor. As a 24-year-old single, recent seminary graduate, I was honored to serve in that position. My plan was to get married sometime in the future, but I was in no hurry. I had other things on my mind at the time. If I did date someone, I was adamant she would have no ties to the church I was pastoring.

In the fall of that same year, a young, attractive lady walked into the narthex of the church before a Sunday worship service. She had lovely blonde hair, dancing blue eyes, and a gorgeous smile. She extended her hand and said, “Hi, I’m Jeannie Smith!” We talked a bit, then she returned to the church a couple weeks later for an evening service. We talked even more then. My own plans gave way to the purpose of the Lord, embodied in this godly young woman he had brought into my life. We were married in the church I was serving June 7, 1986, forty years ago this month. Looking back, I learn much about my plans compared to God’s purpose.

First, God’s purpose is better than my plan. 40 years ago, I was full of youthful ambition, focused on what I wanted to accomplish. God’s purpose for me, however, was to have Jeannie as a life partner in serving him. God’s purpose was far better than any of my plans, far greater than anything I could imagine. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’—.”

Second, God’s purpose is stronger than my plan. My determination to follow my self-charted course crumbled in the presence of this amazing life partner God placed before me. Her cheerful spirit, her devotion to the Lord, and everything else about her completely overwhelmed my personal and professional ambition. Genesis 2:18 says, Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Third, God’s purpose is longer than my plan. In 1985, I could only see things from a limited, human perspective. The Lord was aware of the ministry challenges and trials ahead. He saw personal tragedies and triumphs on the horizon. He realized the life companion I needed with whom to experience them. He knew our son Josh and our grandchildren Easton and Bekah before they were even conceived. The Lord says in Isaiah 46:10, “…I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’”

Regardless of what your life plans may be at this moment, whether they are for school, marriage, job choice, or something else, realize and rest in the truth that God’s purpose will prevail. As you love Jesus supremely and give him first place in your life, he will take care of all the rest. As Paul says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

With a shepherd’s heart,

Pastor David