Lift It (Part 1): What to do when your plans fail

Hey Devoted Geeks!

Welcome to the first part of our brand-new series inspired by the song “Lift It” by Thousand Foot Krutch from their 2000 album, “Set It Off”. Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at some heavy-hitting topics: plans, stress, anger, and depression. But today, we’re kicking things off by talking about our plans. Before we jump into the discussion, I’d love to invite you guys to take a moment to listen to the song, but don’t treat it as some sort of background track; take a moment to worship the Lord with it.

Have you ever meticulously mapped out a plan, maybe it was the perfect strategy for a tabletop campaign? Maybe you worked hard on planning out your day so that you could spend extra time with loved ones? Maybe you have a detailed itinerary for a convention weekend, or even a massive life goal, only to watch it completely fall apart?

If you are anything like me, once you have a plan in place, you do not like being taken off course. This is especially true when it is something I really want to do, or something I genuinely feel the Lord has called me to do. When I get derailed and can’t execute my plans, I can get incredibly upset and frustrated. I genuinely struggle to focus and redirect myself when my plans are completely derailed.

In the song “Lift It,” TFK sings, 

“My whole life was designed by You
I’ll never know anyone half as true.” 

That lyric brings up a challenging question: If God is the ultimate designer of our lives, what are we supposed to do with our plans? How do we handle it when our carefully crafted schedules clash with His?

Here is how we can approach our plans from a biblical perspective.

1. Commit Your Plans

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Proverbs 16:3

First and foremost, before we take a single step, we need to commit our plans to Jesus. We have to seek Him in prayer.

When you bring your plans to God, He might give you a green light. But He also might give you a red light and tell you to stop, or a yellow light and tell you to wait and see. Think about the countless stories you’ve likely heard of people who had made plans for a road trip, but something deep inside told them to hold off for a bit or completely cancel their plans. A day later, they find out that if they had stayed on their original schedule, they would have driven right into a massive accident or something tragic. Committing our plans to God means giving Him the steering wheel and trusting His traffic signals.

2. Recognize Who Makes It Happen

Why should we seek Him first? Because ultimately, He is the one driving.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”
Proverbs 16:9

While you may have a brilliant idea, God is the one who actually makes things happen. The plan you have might be perfectly fine, good, and moral, but if it is not the specific path Jesus has for you, He might drop a few stumbling blocks in your way to get your attention.

I experienced this firsthand when I was trying so hard to get a job as a youth pastor. I had my plans, I had my resume, and I was pushing to make it happen. But God had to establish my steps, and sometimes that meant closing doors I desperately wanted open so He could guide me to where I actually needed to be. Now, 17 years later, I’m serving in the same church I’ve been at since I was a teenager. I have the honor of being the student pastor to the kids of people I grew up with. I get to see, serve alongside, and be friends with men and women of God who, at one point in time, I was their kid or student pastors. This would have never happened if I had my way earlier in life.

3. Change Your Approach

Because God is the one establishing our steps, it should completely change the posture we take when making our daily plans.

“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.'”
James 4:13-15

As we go through life, we need to carry a reverent understanding that Jesus is ultimately in control. Our plans might be great, honest, and well-intentioned, but it is the Lord’s decision as to what happens in this world. Therefore, we should approach our future with a humble reminder: “If it is the Lord’s will.” It keeps us flexible and open to His sudden changes in direction. That doesn’t mean this is easy to shift, but if we keep that mindset in the forefront, it will help.

4. Entrust Your Life and Find Peace

When we finally let go of our rigid itineraries and entrust our lives to Jesus, we find real peace and true love.

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”
Psalm 143:8

The Psalmist tells us that because he has placed his trust in God, he can confidently expect to see the fruit of God’s unfailing love. It is only after he declares his trust that he asks the Lord, “Show me the way I should go.” 

Just like the chorus of “Lift It” says:

I surrender all of me
To You, to You, to You.

When you lift your plans up and surrender them to the Designer, you can rest knowing that even if you get taken off course, you are still exactly where He wants you to be.