OUR PLAN OR HIS?
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
With the Leupold scope set on nine power, Joel could make out antlers, but not the specifics on size or number of points, since he was about half a mile away. The sun had only been up a short time when he first saw him work his way up the sunny side of the hill.
As he sat on the high point glassing for other animals, he kept an eye on this buck's movement. He watched as the buck went into a stand of red brush and bedded down for the morning. Joel's mind started to put a plan of approach together: if he dropped off the high point he was on, back in the opposite direction, veered off to the right, worked his way down the valley, and climbed the backside of the hill he was on, it should put him within 150 yards of the bedded buck.
By eleven o'clock, Joel had covered the distance, crawled to the rim, had his rifle resting on his backpack, and was methodically scouring below through the red brush for movement. After several minutes of seeing nothing, he figured that during the three-hour stalk he must have gotten up and moved to another location. It was then that Joel caught movement about 100 yards below him. Looking closer, he saw it again. Whenever the buck turned his head, the sun reflected off his antlers. The crosshairs found his shoulder, the safety came off, and then Joel harvested the mule deer buck. That was the longest stalk of Joel's life — the plan had worked!
In all of life, there's a balance between personal preparation and surrendering the outcome to God.
In Proverbs 21:5 we read, "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."
Then we read in Proverbs 16:9, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps."
It's about responsible foresight, trusting the Lord's leading and following His leadership, not over-anxiously moving and boasting.
Then in Proverbs 16:3 we read, "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."
All these verses suggest that achieving goals involves diligent effort, placing our trust and work in God's hands, and seeking His will above our own.
Are you trusting your own judgment — or the leadership of God?
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