“So what are your plans for the summer?” Somebody asked. How would you answer? “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans,” said television commentator Ed Bradley. The writer of Proverbs agreed: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). Don’t get caught on the thought that God wants to laugh at us. He doesn’t. But he has a much better understanding of the purpose of our lives than we do.
Paul and his companions learned this as they were trying to discern their next direction and destination. They thought about Asia, and then about Bithynia, but on both occasions, God stopped them in their tracks. Curiously, Luke says the Holy Spirit stopped them first and then the Spirit of Jesus stopped them. How did God do it? I remember on one occasion I wanted to do one thing, but God wanted me to do something else. When I chose my own way, I felt a weight like an anvil around my neck. Melanie felt it as well. I concluded that I had grieved the Spirit by choosing my plan over his. We turned back to God in prayer and discovered his better plan.
Paul and his friends were in God’s waiting room. Then, right on GST, God’s Standard Time, Paul received a vision of a man in Macedonia begging them to come and help. Once they knew what God wanted, the missionaries prepared at once to go to Macedonia. This is how the gospel came to Europe, and afterward all the way to the United States. The safest place to be is in the will of God.
Never underestimate the power of waiting before God in prayer. He is never late. A single decision may affect the lives of many, many generations of people. So, what are God’s plans for your life? Don’t be afraid to wait before the Lord until you find them and fulfill them.
