Devotion / God's better plan
Sometimes God makes better use of our plans than we thought possible.
Sweden's ideal plan
The Napoleonic Wars (1800-15) ravaged Europe. As Sweden struggled to recover, its navy realized that any future wars would require a fleet of state-of-the-art ships to protect its shores and citizens.
On the island of Visingsö, ship-builders found the ideal place to grow sturdy, straight, and tall oak trees. When fully grown, these trees would become the warships Sweden needed to defend itself from any invader. The Swedes moved full speed ahead to grow their battleships. They planted 300 000 oak trees.
But there were two problems. Oak trees need a century and a half to develop into ship-quality lumber. Problem two: By the turn of the 20th Century, battleships were made of steel, not wood.
Sweden never built the battleships they planned. But they have had a reliable source for oak flooring, veneers, furniture, and whiskey barrels. Plans for that oak forest changed.
Our ideal plans
On his second missionary journey, the Apostle Paul planned to spread the gospel in what is now western Turkey. He bounced from one area to the next seeking a place to establish Christian churches. Luke writes in Acts 16:6-8,
Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
When the Spirit had led Paul to Troas, he used a dream to direct the apostle across the Aegean Sea to Samothrace, Neapolis, and Philippi. For the first time in Paul's ministry, he took the gospel into Europe. From there, over the next centuries, that good news transformed another continent and it came to my ancestors, perhaps also yours.
Paul was looking to harvest "oaks of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:3 ) in modern-day Turkey. The Spirit expanded his plans to include all of Europe. That, too, is his miraculous Easter-grace at work.
What about the awesome, God-pleasing plans you are working on? The ones that aren't turning out like you imagined. That's OK. Imagine how the Spirit will transform your plans as he shapes them for his purposes.