Planning
Scripture Reading: Romans 15:22-33
In today’s text, Paul mentions his plan to extend his missionary outreach into Spain. Did Paul ever get there? There is no record in the New Testament that he did. Some scholarly research suggests that he might have. Some suggest that there is a gap in the biblical record of Paul’s journeys. There is a period between 60 and 62 that is difficult to account for Paul’s whereabouts, and the thought is Paul may have visited Spain during that time. There is also positive evidence in that Church fathers, like Clement of Alexandria, said Paul did go to Spain.
In the end, we can conclude with certainty that we can’t be certain.
It is important to remember that while the biblical authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit in what they wrote (in other words, there are two authors of the text of Scripture – the human and the divine), the human authors were nevertheless human with all of the foibles that include. So, while Paul expressed his desire and intentions to go to Spain, that doesn’t mean he did.
And that is okay. Making plans is an important part of productive and fruitful living. As someone said, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” But our plans don’t always come off the way we expect. That’s why James exhorted us to say, “The Lord willing…” as the prefix to announcing our intentions for tomorrow. James wasn’t saying that we shouldn’t make plans, he was saying we should make our plans with the understanding that God might disrupt or change them.
There is no reason to beat yourself up over unfilled plans. That is especially true when your plans didn’t come off because God put up a roadblock or made you take a detour. I think good intentions do count for something when your intentions are for doing good and you are seeking to honor God. Whether or not Paul made it to Spain, he wanted to go to spread the gospel, and that is worthy of praise if he made it there or not.
David wanted to build the Temple. God told him he couldn’t, but his son, Solomon, would. David wasn’t condemned for that desire and plan. It was a good plan and a good idea. It just wasn’t the right time, and he wasn’t the right person.
Make your plans. Make plans for good. Make plans to bless others and advance the kingdom. Make plans for great things. Will they all come to pass? Maybe, maybe not. But you can rest in knowing that whether or not your plans come to pass, God’s plans will. And you can also rest in knowing that even when you make a plan that isn’t God’s plan, your heavenly Father approves of the desire even when he doesn’t approve of the plan.
