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January 2, 08

God Always Gets the Last Word

by Shana Schutte

Over the years, I've made numerous plans about money, love, family, friends, travel, romance, children, employment and a million other things. If I deeply desired something, chances are, I made a plan to obtain whatever it was. But many times, like everyone, my plans didn't yield the result I wanted.

Proverbs 16:1, says, "The plans of the heart belong to the man [or woman], But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD."

The word plans is a Hebrew word that means, "preparation." The verb form of this noun means to "prepare, arrange, or plan."

This means that we prepare, arrange and plan to try to insure that life turns out favorably. But according to this Scripture, it takes more than making plans to succeed--it takes an answer from the Lord.

In Vol. 3 of Through the Bible, J. Vernon McGee wrote: "We may plan and arrange things, but when the time comes to speak or act, God is going to be the one who is going to have the last word."

Perhaps this seems discouraging because you may feel that no matter how hard you try God can thwart you. However, this can also be a great comfort when you acknowledge the wisdom and love of God.

Often times, we don't know what is best for us; and even though we make plans, we can count on out loving Lord to straighten us out if we get off track. God keeps us in His will by having the last word about what we've determined to do.

This is a good reminder for the New Year as we make plans, set goals and hope for a better future. Praise Him! God always gets the last word.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."

(Proverbs 37:4)

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