There are a number of things that all people have in common, and one of those things is that we are always making plans. Many of the proverbs have to do with this tendency, and with our tendency to somehow overlook that God himself makes plans. The wisdom of Proverbs in this matter is expressed in Proverbs 16.9: The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Obviously, it would be best to have good hearts, good plans, and be in sync with God. But the book of Job raises the uncomfortable issue that even if we are in sync with God, life is not always rosy, or prosperous, or secure, or personally fulfilling. Added to this, if our hearts are off, and we have bad plans, we can almost be assured that life will not work well. Given these prospects, what do we make of this?

Wrestling with this issue makes demands on our hearts, and souls, and minds. But wrestling in this way is one way of loving the Lord our God. Job discovered that at last, and we may also.

As you wrestle with these realities of life, can you see how wisdom, wonderful though it is, does not meet our deepest needs? We need more than bright ideas, or wisdom or careful plans. That more comes to us in the saving work of Jesus, whose life in our midst enables us to:

Trust in the Lord with all our hearts,

and not to lean on our own understanding.

As we seek in all our ways to acknowledge him,

That he might make our paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6