Over the last five years or so, Brad proved himself as “the Wizard of Waze” on our Gray Hogs trips—he’d enter our ultimate destination, calculate in any traffic issues, add in some stops along the way, and we’d blissfully follow his lead, never worrying nor looking at our maps, just riding. We got spoiled, until Waze quit working.
Last year we left Grass Valley, east above Sacramento some, heading for Lassen National Park. A longish ride through wine country and gentle curves (mostly), but more traffic than we anticipated. Halfway through the park, we realized we’d burned through a lot of time, and following our planned route would get us in pretty late to our hotel back in Grass Valley. We pulled out a paper map to find a shorter return, then Brad went to his bike to find the best way home.
Then he walked back to us, “Tim, can you get your paper map back? We’re so far in the mountains that we have no internet service.” No internet service = no Waze. We all appreciated an old school backup plan of having a paper map.
I couldn’t help but think of Proverbs 16:9, “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” I’ve made many plans over the years. Sometimes generated spontaneously, sometimes carefully bathed in prayer, research, and advice. But rarely do plans work out as planned. So how do we respond when Plan B becomes needed? When God or Waze or accidents or other’s choices or life end our plans?
We can complain and get depressed. We can come up with Plan B, or C, or… We can turn to God. Here’s a passage that used to be popular, but I haven’t heard it in some time, “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. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:13-16).
Maybe we can loosen our grip on our plans. Maybe we can leave more room for God to intervene. Maybe we can cultivate the humility to realize we don’t always know best. Maybe we can more deeply trust in God’s love, presence, power to act. Maybe.
Kick Starting the Application
How do you typically respond when important plans go sideways? Do you often thank God for keeping them from occurring? How much resentment do you feel when plans don’t work out? How soon do you bring God into the process?