Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.” — Proverbs 24:27
Everyone, whether young or old, has made plans at one time or another. Planning is the process of preparing in advance; defining what you intend to do and how you will go about it. It is essential in every aspect of life, from organizing events to achieving personal goals. Planning is not optional; it is necessary. Choosing not to plan is, in itself, a kind of preparation; one that leads to failure. Scripture says “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” — Luke 14:28
The writer of Proverbs emphasized, in clear and concise language, that planning is essential to the success of anything. God demonstrated this principle by putting together His plan for redemption thousands of years before Jesus Christ came to the world. Throughout the era of the Law and Prophets, one truth was revealed; man was incapable of saving himself, even if he sacrificed all the animals in the world. Humanity needed the ultimate and perfect atonement; a Messiah.
Ephesians 1:4-5: “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.”
1 Peter 1:18-20: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed… but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”
Planning is a Divine Principle
When the Tabernacle of God was to be built, God gave Moses a detailed blueprint of how the Temple was to be constructed when He said, “You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.” (Exodus 25:8).
This reveals an important truth: planning is not just a human necessity but a divine principle. If God, in His infinite wisdom, plans ahead, how much more should we? From our spiritual growth to family life, career, and ministry, we must approach life with intentionality and seek God’s guidance in all our plans.
Jesus Christ set a powerful example by aligning Himself completely with God’s appointed times and seasons. He was intentional about following God’s plan for His life, as He declared: “Look, I have come to do your will, O God; as it is written about me in the Scriptures.” (Hebrews 10:7). When John the Baptist hesitated to baptize Him, Jesus insisted, saying, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” (Matthew 3:15). Jesus was intentional about following God’s plan.
David, too, showed this attitude. One of the qualities that made him special to God was his consistent dependence on divine guidance. He did not rely on his own wisdom but sought God’s direction, recognizing Him as his true King and leader. David understood that no mighty feat could be accomplished without God’s presence and approval.
God always intended for His people to rely on Him fully. When the Israelites obeyed this principle, they triumphed; when they strayed, they suffered defeat. Many people today live in defeat because they have not committed their plans to God. Trusting in ourselves instead of trusting in God will always lead to frustration and failure.
The defining difference between the children of God and the world is that we do not make plans without first seeking God’s will. Every child of God has a blueprint; a script that God has written concerning them. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to seek it out and walk in it.
Don’t be Fixated on Planning: Sometimes the Plan is Simple Obedience
While planning is necessary, we must not become so fixated on it that we rely solely on human wisdom. The ultimate success of any plan rests in God’s hands. Scripture reminds us: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” (Proverbs 16:3). “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21).
God’s plan may not come as a detailed roadmap but as a simple instruction, just as He told Abraham: “Go to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1). Abraham was called to step out in faith, with no clear picture of what was ahead; his security was his trust in God. In such moments, obedience is the plan. No amount of well-structured human reasoning can replace the power of simply following God’s leading. As Proverbs 20:24 says: “The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?”
With God, we may not always see the full picture, but we can rest in the assurance that He does. He has declared, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11). Who better to trust with the plans for your life than the One who created you and gives you every breath? James 4:13-15 says: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”
A well-thought-out plan, surrendered to God, leads to divine alignment and success. Planning with wisdom and prayer ensures that we are not just moving, but moving in the right direction. As Scripture says: “Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.”
If there is one thing I’ve learned in my journey, it is that surrendering to God’s plan is always better than struggling to carve out my own. There have been times when I thought I had it all figured out, only to realize later the costly or dangerous gaps in my plan. But each time I yielded to God, He led me in ways I never could have imagined; ways that, in hindsight, were far better than anything I could have planned.
So, I encourage you: seek His will, trust His timing, and walk in obedience; even when the details are unclear. You can be sure of this: God is faithful, He is loving, and He causes everything to work together for your good because you love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
