How can I Balance Planning and Walking By Faith? Giving an Answer

How can I balance planning and walking by faith?

This is quite a sobering discussion question, yet I surmise that Christians must reckon with such a question if we hope to be faithful and effective in life that is by and large unpredictable. I would like to suggest four particular texts that have meant much to me over the last six years of ministry:

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand." -Proverbs 19.21

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" 1 Corinthians 10.31

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me" 1 Corinthians 15.10

"Come now you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? for you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that" James 4.13-15

I think the Bible teaches us that it is wise to plan and anticipate the natural progression of life, especially since there is such discouragement towards laziness. However, God's movement in our own lives is just that- God's- and thus we as finite creatures can never anticpate each and every redirection and road block that may come into play. Yet, this is not owing to a God who is bored with mundane and seeks to get excitement by ruining our plans. Instead it is owing to God's grace that He in His providence is willing to direct us by leading us into that which we could never expect and keeping us from that which would be more damaging to us than we could ever imagine. The warning from the above texts form a singular summary: 1. Trust in God's providence, 2. Ensure that all of your plans are centered on honoring God, 3. Rely in God's grace to establish you in a direction you never expected and 4. Never give in to plans that usurp God's authority.

The beauty of God's providence and sovereignty is that He will bring His plans to pass. In my own life, I served as a pastor for six years before being convinced that God was ultimately calling me to a future in academic ministry as a professor. Had I known that six years ago, I wouldn've gotten a much earlier start on my education beyond high school. As a 26-year-old I have roughly ten years until I reach my goal of obtaining a PhD to validate me as a scholar and open up possibilities as a seminary professor. I could become greatly discouraged that this is so long from being realized, but "by the grace of God, I am what I am" and I must trust that because of God's providence, he redirected me from the path I was taking and placed me upon a path I am now on, for His glory. If this was all due to my own wisdom and ability, I would have reason to be discouraged and fearful of the future. But it is due to the crucial role of God's grace placed upon His children that He knows not only what is best, but when that should take place.

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