Studio52Seven

A Guide to Building Plans That Truly Matter

Making plans is something we all do. Whether it is about career, relationships, finances, battles to fight or not, or the simple goals of daily life. Yet, no matter how well thought through our plans are, life has a way of reminding us that we are not fully in control. This tension between our intentions and the unforeseen, and sometimes converse, outcomes we experience raises an even deeper question: how do we bring wisdom, guidance, and a sense of higher purpose into the way we make decisions and plan?

“In all your ways acknowledge Him,” Proverbs 3:6 tells us. For the longest time, I wondered, what does that mean? Does it mean to pray, or just have some God-thoughts, or what, as I plan my “ways” today? Sometimes, I take solace in Proverbs 16:9: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” In my head, I reason, pick an agenda, and run with it. If it is not God, well, as Proverbs 16 says, God will not allow it to sail. But after a load of epic fails in my short life so far, I realize that might be too simplistic an interpretation.

So, what exactly does it mean to acknowledge God as I make decisions?

If God had an angel-clerk’s desk in a corner of my room and I could submit my written plans for His approval, and come back for His decision notification, that would be so easy, and so good. But that sounds so civil service. This is how acknowledging God in our ways and bringing Him into our plans looked like to my wife so many years ago: “God, I want to do so and so. Please help me so it will happen.” And off she goes with her “God-endorsed” plan.

Unlike my wife, at least she did “consult” God; there are those of us who do not bother to invite God into the planning process or the executions at all. And for some, it could just be that they do not even believe in God. In this piece, we will look at a few reasons why it is very reckless and foolish to plan without God and offer some tips on how we can acknowledge God in our plans.

Why Reckless:

1. We are Finite:

We are finite in knowledge. The best of us can only see just about the tip of his or her nose. The next hour, the next day are uncharted frontiers. Organizations would pay mammoth amounts to have such information. AI has assumed the ability to predict “tomorrow,” therefore, businesses buy into its massive capabilities to read patterns. But life does not always follow patterns and algorithms. James (4:13,14a) admonishes, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.”

The economies of our world are run on probabilities and permutations. Systems, processes, and experts that seem to have a hint about tomorrow become our demi-gods. We rely on them for the wisdom to tide through our world of existential uncertainty. That should be forgiven, even okay, if the one who designed, built, and manages the labyrinth of our world and the universe were not around as our tour guide also. Proverbs 3:5 counsels to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” It is as though all of Heaven screams, “Reckless, reckless! Don’t!” when they see us leaning on our fickle understanding.

2. The Delusion of Control:

While we have been given charge over God’s creation, (fun fact depending on how you see it, we’re not in charge) none of us is handed the codes that govern our lives, nor did we map the paths of the universe. Like Ecclesiastes 11:5 says, “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” And Jeremiah (10:23) affirms, “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.” Sounds to me like these scriptures are saying the best we can do is observe as things unfold.

Even when we misinterpret scriptures and arrogate so much power to ourselves, depending on the doctrine we choose to embrace, whether shamanism, new age self-worship, or Christian-colored self-deification, we are not law to ourselves. We are neither self-existent nor are we independent. We belong to someone, our maker. Think of the last 24 hours, what did you truly control?

Acknowledging God:

1. Pray

Submit to His guidance and leadership during planning and execution. Reach out for His input. The mere act of going down on our knees, figuratively and for real, is a posture of surrender. The judicial idea of prayer implies that one is at the mercy of the one who has the power and authority to answer that prayer. When we pray as we plan, we approach God with the same dependent posture.

Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” That is so sobering. There is this puffed-up feeling that possesses us when we feel so inspired and see our plans plugging into place so precisely. Never fall into that trap. Always plan on bended knees.

2. Ask the WHY Question

The heart of man is deceitful. Even our best intentions might be propped by motives we’ll be shocked by when uncovered. Ask yourself, why am I doing this? These are some questions that can help dig out the why:

• How will this benefit God?
• Who gets the glory from this?
• How does this align with God’s mandate for me?
• What will go wrong in God’s agenda if this is not done?
• Who am I truly hoping will take note of this?
• What is driving this plan or decision – love, faith and service or fear, comparison and pride?
• What will I lose if this were not done?

Depending on the context, there are all sorts of probing questions in addition to the above that we can ask to discern where God is in our proposed plan. And in a way, getting that bit sorted out sets the stage for a good, God-directed planning. After all, He would always have a plan for His agenda.

We are neither self-existent nor are we independent. We belong to someone, our maker. Think of the last 24 hours, what did you truly control?

3. Stay Scripture-biased

One of the Five Solas that served as the bedrock of the Reformation was Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone. And it states that the Bible alone is the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice. One huge battle every person gets to fight is that of identity. When the devil told Eve that her eyes would be opened if she ate the fruit of the tree, and she would be like God, he was tossing the identity conflict at her. He was making her ask, “Who am I? Who can I become?” The same goes for the direct invitation to self-doubt that he threw at Jesus: Prove yourself. “If you are the son of God, …” Masked in every gas-lighting, identity conflict, or a reason to prove oneself, is always a sick agenda. In the case of Jesus, it was to use His power to serve Himself. Not a bad thing to take care of His hunger, after all, His fasting was over. However, that innocent but self-centered action would have invalidated His mission. Derailment is the devil’s objective every time.

Unlike Eve, Jesus appealed to only one line of reasoning. The Scripture: “It is written…” Eve gave thought to the idea put on the table by the devil and, by her subjective reasoning, concluded that it made sense and so did what the devil suggested. On the other hand, Jesus simply referred to the authority of the Scripture. It was not time to prove the devil wrong. It was not time to prove that He was strong and in control. It was not time to mirror and lean towards the suggestion on the table with a verse of Scripture picked out of context because bread, oh bread… will be sooo delicious at that moment.

There may be a million reasons to advance an idea or plan, but if it conflicts with the authority of the Scripture, throw it away. You would not be acknowledging God if you follow any of those paths.

4. Two Good Heads are Better Than One

Proverbs 15:22 says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer says in “Life Together,” “the Christ in my own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of my brother; my own heart is uncertain, his is sure.” God did not design us to be autonomous and self-sufficient. He designed us for community. He would not, by design, want us to have all the solutions all by ourselves. Part of the truth and counsel that I need to succeed in what He has for me lies with some other persons.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 and 10 counsels that “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” Even though the passage is often applied to marriages, the principle applies to any form of partnership. More is better than one.

Of course, it is good to note that, as Psalm 1:1 cautions, who we join and from whom we seek counsel is equally important. It says,

“Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;”

Wise counsels are good and needful; nonetheless, temptations also present themselves as some form of counsel. So, be careful who is speaking into your mind and informing your plans, opinions, and choices.

5. Use Peace as a Compass:

Sometimes the plan we are considering is not an easy black and white to decipher if it is a God-plan or not. We might be presented with two or more equally good and godly choices and possible plans. One way to think of it is to assume that God may not mind whichever option we go with. And that may be true. A possible context might be a plan as to whom to marry. Every box for a good and godly spouse might check out, but of the two people, there can only be one. That is where that inner compass of peace, guarded in an attitude of prayer, comes in.

Colossians 3:15 admonishes, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” The imperative verb “let” suggests that we are to act. We are to make room for, allow the rule of peace. Literally, make the kingship of the peace of Christ, while making decisions and plans, serve as litmus tests. If King Peace of Christ is not seated on the throne of your heart, pause the action.

Another peace that we should seek as we plan is the peace with other stakeholders. Often, we may “feel at peace” with something we want to do, but every other person seems quite uneasy about it. James 3:17 highlights that “… the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” If the plan or decision that we are pursuing is stirring up strife and discord, it may be a red flag to take note of.

As I sign off, I commend you to an amazing time of planning and decision making. The plans that acknowledge God are not cantankerous, divisive, hateful, out to get the other person, undermining of other people’s peace, or primed for my welfare alone. They are plans that brew from hearts that know that God has a diary for each one of us, filled with details of our lives before we were born and He is ready to walk us through them as we consult with Him (Psalm 139:16).

As we step into the final quarter of 2025, and as you and your organization ink out plans and fly out, or stroll out, for strategic retreats, pause to reflect on the possibility that your personal and corporate plans could serve as a reflection of God’s greater purposes for the world around you.

_{^{Cover image courtesy: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash}}