Key Verse: You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they really mean “No”? (2 Cor. 1:17)
You may have heard the joke, “Do you know why we plan for the future?” “No, why?” “Because we can’t plan for the past.” Of course, it’s no great loss if you haven’t heard that joke, but there is a kernel of truth in it.
The Apostle Paul was a planner. In the broad scope of his ministry, he had a clear goal: “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation” (Rom. 15:20). And he had a plan to meet that goal. Sometimes in the course of following his plan he received direction from the Lord (Acts 16:6-9). On other occasions he apparently decided to preach in strategic cities in a particular area. On one occasion he was held in Galatia by an illness and took the opportunity to preach there (Gal. 4:13). At other times he was prevented from following his plan, and we are not told how (Rom. 1:13; 15:22). These things show us something about the apostle: He lived with confidence that behind the scenes God was directing his movements. He made plans, but when his plans were thwarted or something redirected his movements, his mission carried on.
During earlier correspondence with the Corinthians, Paul had been in Ephesus on the east side of the Aegean Sea. Corinth is on the west side. So Paul had had two options: travel around the Aegean by land through Macedonia, or across the Aegean by sea directly to Corinth and then travel north to Macedonia. He had initially told the Corinthians that he would visit them after he had travelled through Macedonia (1 Cor. 16:5). Then he had said he would visit Corinth first (2 Cor. 1:15). And now he has changed his plans again (2 Cor. 1:23-2:1). Paul may have seemed either confused or untrustworthy, constantly changing his plans. Surely some in Corinth would misunderstand. Paul indeed recognized this in 1:17 where he writes, “You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly?”
How do you respond when plans change? They may be your plans that change or someone else’s plans that affect you. If your plans change, that does not mean you were out of God’s will in the first place or that they were bad plans. It may simply mean that life is complicated and we can’t see the future. If someone else’s plans change and disappoint you or frustrate you, what’s your reaction? Do you immediately think the worst of that person, or are you willing to consider the best option? Some people are fickle and inconsiderate, and sometimes we may need to confront them with love in order to encourage them to be more considerate. However their attitudes and actions are ultimately their responsibility. Our own attitudes and actions are what we have to answer for.
Prayer: Lord, teach me to rest in You. Help me to trust and obey. Let me be aware of how my plans and the changes in my plans affect others, and give me a heart of love to consider this and communicate my concern. When others change their plans and it affects me, give me the grace not to immediately pass harsh judgment on them but to react with grace.
Author: Lindsay Hislop was raised in southern Scotland and southern Ontario and now lives in the southern United States. He worked in the engineering field for 15 years (mostly in Canada) before pursuing an academic career. He has taught for over thirty years at Columbia International University. He also serves as an elder in his church, where he teaches and preaches regularly. He is married to a wonderful wife Pam and has two terrific children, Holly, who lives in Canada, and Doug, who lives in Columbia. His four grandchildren, Isaac, Madeline, Lindsay, and Dolan, are also pretty special. He likes doing carpentry and odd jobs around the house.
