Man Proposes, God Disposes

One thing about the Lord is this – He’s never short of surprises and variety in how He deals with us, or last minute changes to what we thought were well-laid plans.  But as Scottish bard, Robbie Burns, once wrote, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley.” (often go astray).  That’s how we sometimes see them, but from God’s perspective, nothing goes astray.  The variety of His sovereign working is utterly amazing.

How true it is that “man’s disappointments are God’s appointments.”  We do not know why certain things come to pass, but being surrendered to the Lord’s good will, we accept it with thanksgiving.  It would have been good if what we had expected could have commenced today, but we are in the hands of our blessed Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.  “Man proposes but He disposes.”  And we are deeply happy with that. 

I find it now a bit embarrassing to keep on writing to you about this situation, but I feel I have no alternative but to go on doing so.  This is a testing time for us, especially for our patience, though not for our faith.  Our trust is in the grace and goodness of the Almighty, and we are content to remain there.  To walk with the Lord is to walk in safety, but to stray from Him is to live dangerously.  Whatever He sends us is right and good and pleasing; and we accept it all. So at the end of the day, He knows better than we do, and He can see what’s down the road, something that is mercifully kept hidden from us.