How much do you really trust Me?

Making plans is stupid. So is having preconceived notions about a person, place, time in your life, or anything. The older I get, the less “must have a plan” oriented I am and the more “let’s see what God does with this one” I become. I have completely planned out my life many times: Career, children, marriage, living, retiring, stuff gathering, even put some thought in my funeral. And guess how all of that stuff is going to work out… exactly the way God decides. And there is not one single plan you can make or act you can perform to change that. And that isn't even the best part. The best part is that God is going to do great things in spite of our best efforts to let our plans rule our lives.



You don’t believe me? That’s fine. Ask Jonah. Read his story and tell me how well all his plans and preconceptions worked out. And despite Jonah’s best efforts (agreeing to die by drowning by being thrown into the sea) God still loves him so much that he saves a whole nation of people through Jonah. And God even gave Jonah shade once he completed God’s task and it did not turn out to be the fire and damnation that he hoped. 

King David understood this. That’s why his heart looked so much like God’s heart. That’s why there are so many Psalms written “in the valley of the shadow of death” but their authors are certain that God is going to remove them from it. Here are a few examples of this:


Psalm 22
Psalm 23
Psalm 31


Pay special attention to Psalm 31 and the way the author calls God out to take care of him, then spends the second half of the psalm praising Him because the author knows God is faithful to meet and exceed his requests. And the author does not do this out of selfish ambition because of some great plans he has made. The author is humbly laying his life at the altar of God, and just letting that be enough.


Jeff Johnson wrote a song called Ruin Me that describes this sacrifice. Listen to it. Pray it. Live it.


God has shown me that my plans were greater than his over and over and over again. He gave me a better college career, coaching instead of playing. Gave me a better job, with people I have come to know and love and a church family close to my heart. God gave me a better wife, more perfectly designed to share God’s work with me than any other. And God will continue to give. He will finish the housing mess he blessed me with starting. He will start my family off correctly and build it exactly the way he wants it. He will lead us wherever we need to go and let us do whatever we need to do. All I have to do is listen and follow. Just like Noah. Just like Abraham. Just like Jesus. Just like my dad.

Ruin my life, the plans that I've made.

Ruin desires for my own selfish gain.

Destroy the idols that have taken your place.

Until it’s you alone I live for.

Amen.