My Plans vs His Plans - Proverbs 19

Proverbs 19:21 (NASB)

Many plans are in a man's heart, but the counsel of the LORD will stand."

Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)

Many are the plans in the mind of a man,

but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

There is nothing that shows the difference between God’s ways and man’s ways more than when we compare our plans to His plans.  We are humbled when we compare what we want to do to God’s plans and what He actually allows to happen in our lives. Nothing that happens in our lives happens without God’s approval and without fulfilling God’s master plan. So, when we plan “our way,” He still makes “His way” happen in our lives. You can plan all you want, but it is God’s way we need to find. True harmony and peace in our lives comes from knowing that we are doing what God wants at the very moment. And the opposite is true as well: Nothing is more frustrating than to be out of God’s will and doing what we want. Of course, it doesn’t feel frustrating at the time but it will produce frustration as we walk away from Him. God’s purposes always prevail.  Solomon already covered this in this proverb a few chapters prior:

Proverbs 16:1 (ESV)

The plans of the heart belong to man,

but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

This, obviously, causes challenges in our mind when we think of our own personal autonomy and personal responsibility.   If God is “in charge” are we really “choosing” anything?  The best way to understand “free choice” vs God’s sovereignty in His plan is to understand that God is perfect in His planning and completely omniscient and omnipotent.  Man has no foresight about the future and can only plan to the knowledge level he knows.  God is omniscient and has no lack of foresight.  He can and does incorporate any “free will” of man to work His ultimate plan.   God is omnipotent and can carry out His plan with fidelity.  Man is not all powerful and must adjust his “free will” choice-plan to God’s power and design.   You can believe what you want about “free will,” whether is a true or a mirage.   But, the bottom line is that God is working out His design and your plans of your heart are not going to derail His sovereign plan.  

A.W. Pink has some good insight into God’s sovereignty and change:

“Repenting means revising one’s judgment and changing one’s plan of action. God never does this; he never needs to, for his plans are made on the basis of a complete knowledge and control which extend to all things past, present and future, so that there can be no sudden emergencies or unexpected developments to take him by surprise. 

“One of two things causes a man to change his mind and reverse his plans: want of foresight to anticipate everything, or lack of power to execute them. But as God is both omniscient and omnipotent there is never any need for him to revise his decrees.”