To Plan or Not to Plan?

Planning is a wonderful thing. There are a lot of things in life that don’t happen without planning.

Stadiums aren’t built, sewer systems aren’t installed, power grids aren’t maintained, children aren’t educated, and sometimes prayer doesn’t happen without a plan. Yet if you study the life of Jesus you’ll find that some of the most powerful ministry encounters recorded, seemed to take place during unexpected, informal, unprogrammed moments. Read through the gospel of John and you’ll discover that most of what John recorded of Jesus’ ministry — from his baptism to his post-resurrection appearances — were experienced by his followers and observers as unplanned, spontaneous events.

The picture presented of Jesus’ ministry strategy is not that of a highly structured three-year plan with a detailed, efficiently executed travel and preaching itinerary.

Rather, what we see is Jesus remaining in a state of constant communication with his Heavenly Father, confident in His Father’s plan, watching for his Father’s leading, and, in response to that leading, making decisions to stay or move or preach or heal — decisions that from a human perspective seemed spontaneous.

So what, if anything, does this mean for us as Christians who live in a complex technological culture that values strategic planning in just about every area in life? Should we plan, or should we just let go and let God? These are some of the questions that we’ll consider as we continue our study through the book of James and look at “How To Face Your Future.”

In Him,

Pastor Rick
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