Principle: God is Sovereign and Ruler over all, His dominion is both heaven and earth, He is planner and executor and yet He allows man to choose his way.
In the challenging novel written by John Steinbeck “Of Mice and Men” the characters make plans but they often go astray. They find themselves in places and circumstances that tragically end in death for the one softhearted individual in this cast of characters. A famous line from the book is “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray” which was captured from Robert Burns poem “To a Mouse”. Frequently the phrase has been used often by people when they see their dreams go awry.
Steinbeck leaves the audience to ponder this thought but never gives a reason as to why and leaves us in the dark as to the other side of this coin. In contrast, authors of both the OT and the NT do reveal the other side of Steinbeck’s coin which gives us a hope and an answer to every man who asks (1 Pet 3:15 always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess)
1. God is Sovereign and in control (Is 14: 24, 27 “Be sure of this:
Just as I have intended, so it will be;the Lord...has a plan,and who can possibly frustrate it?
just as I have planned, it will happen.)
2. Man plans but God is the executor (Prov 16:9 KJV A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.)
3. God uses all of man’s plans to bring about His perfect sequence (Rom 8:28 we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,)
Man plans but God brings about His intended purpose proving that He is the Sovereign of the Universe. The clearest example of this from scripture is found in Genesis where we read about the evil plans of Jacob’s sons to remove Joseph from their presence. You can almost hear the sons quoting Steinbeck/Burn’s statement as they stood before Joseph as a dignitary in Egypt. Gen 42:21 “Surely we’re being punished because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress has come on us!”; translated into today's pc lingo: “oh just dandy; our plans have gone amuck and look where we are now...we are in a heap of trouble" The brothers were unknowingly unaware that this was God’s intended purpose was to bring about the deliverance of His people in a time of famine. God orchestrated each movement in Joseph’s life to bring about His intended end.
The challenge before us is to see that even though we may plan, God is the one who lovingly and carefully brings about His intended purpose so that He alone gets the glory. Jeremiah wisely wrote: Jer 9:24 If people want to boast, they should boast about this: They should boast that they understand and know me. They should boast that they know and understand that I, the Lord, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth”
Prayer: Father, El Elyon, may we today stop and pause to worship you as the sovereign possessor of heaven and earth. May we know without a shadow of doubt that today has been planned in eternity past for such a time as this. May we trust you as the author and finisher of our faith and to see your purposes before our eyes so that we may boast in this: I know You, I understand that you are faithful, you are fair, you are just and all things bring about your good to those who love you.
Application: Keep track of today’s events and praise God as He executes His plan for your good.
