God’s Plan: Consult Before You Commit

The Condition We Skip

“And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.” — 1 John 5:14

We love to quote this verse. We claim the confidence, the boldness, and the promise that God hears us. But too often we rush past four words that hold the whole verse together: according to His will.

God Is Not Obligated to Your Plans
Here is the pattern many of us fall into. We sit down, map out the business, the move, the relationship, the ministry. We set the timeline and count the cost. Then, once everything is decided, we bring it to God and ask Him to bless it.

But we never consulted Him before we made those plans. We drew the blueprint ourselves and handed Him the role of contractor.

Scripture is clear about who has the final word: “ A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], but the Lord directs his steps and establishes them.” (Proverbs 16:9). And again:  Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand (be carried out). (Proverbs 19:21).

God is not obligated to carry out your plans. He is committed to His own. The confidence of 1 John 5:14 belongs to those who ask in agreement with what He has already purposed.

Consult Before You Commit

The answer is not to stop planning. It is to change the order. “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established” (Proverbs 16:3).

1. Pray first, plan second. Before you write the plan, ask God what He wants. Let His direction shape the blueprint.
2. Search the Word. God’s will is never in conflict with His Word. If your plan contradicts Scripture, it is not His plan.
3. Hold your plans loosely. Write them in pencil. Say as James instructs, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:15).
4. Wait for peace. Let the peace of God rule in your heart (Colossians 3:15). Confusion and pressure are not His signature.

When your request lines up with His plan, you can pray with full boldness, knowing He hears you.

Prayer

Father, forgive me for the times I made my own plans and then asked You to bless them. I surrender my agenda to Yours. Teach me to seek You first, before I decide, before I commit, before I move. Align my desires with Your purposes, and let my requests flow from Your will and not my own. Thank You that when I ask according to Your plan, You hear me. I trust You to direct my steps. In Jesus’ name, Amen.