I love to always have a ‘Plan B’.

What if it rains? Then we’ll go into the hall.
What if the car breaks down? Then we’ll call AVIS.
What if the door is locked? Then we’ll go around the back.
What if the machine breaks down? Then we’ll use the spare in the cupboard.
What if the country ‘breaks down’? Then we’ll immigrate to …
What if my company fails? Then we’ll execute Plan B.

Many ‘what if?’ scenarios that I looked at over the years. I am very concerned about our country and the high level of corruption, poor leadership and threats of nationalization of the banks, mines and major businesses. Inevitably this leads to thinking about ‘what if’ things go wrong? Often ‘what if’ thoughts tend to lead one in a different direction, not always the direction God intended for us. At the same time I had the opportunity of travelling throughout our country the past 6 months and see the incredible progress from north to south, east to west which is contrary to the negative image the media constantly portrays about the state of our country and its ineffective leadership.

On one of my ‘what if?’ days, my friend Gerrit and I discussed the confusing progress on the one hand and the crazy political scene on the other and what one should do. I was considering making some future investments ‘off shore’ as a ‘Plan B’ as it would seem the right thing to do. We decided to pray about our country, the confusing facts and ask the Lord what He would like us to do. We then read the following from one of my daily devotional books (God Calling 11 Aug)…

“Jesus, Thou are watching over us to bless and care for us.

Yes! remember that always – that out of darkness I am leading you to light. Out of unrest to rest, out of disorder to order. Out of faults and failure to perfection. So trust Me wholly. Fear nothing. Hope ever. Look ever up to Me and I will be your sure aid… can He not bring out of your little chaos peace and order?

Your affairs are Mine. It is My divine Task to order My affairs – therefore your will be ordered by Me.”

We then read Ps 91. Where the psalmist says that God will rescue him from every trap and protect him from the fatal plague. V 5 … “Now you don’t need to be afraid of the dark any more, nor fear the dangers of the day; nor dread the plaques of darkness; nor disaster in the morning. V 11 … For He orders His angels to protect you wherever you go. V 14…The Lord says, because he loves Me, I will rescue him; I will make him great because he trust in My name…. when he calls on Me I will answer, I will be with him in trouble, and rescue him and honour him.”

We were stunned. We both realised that when we say we are Christians and that we trust in God, then clearly there is no Plan B for our lives. There is only Plan A and Plan A is God’s plan for my life. But then I need to trust Him, that He will bring out of my little chaos, peace and order. We realised that faith does not panic and that we must not allow our fear to affect our faith in God’s ability to deliver us, even in the most dire of circumstances.

We then read Isaiah 43:18+19 (Life Application Bible) “But forget all that – it is nothing to what I’m going to do! For I’m going to do a brand new thing. See, I have already begun! Don’t you see it? I will make a road through the wilderness… and create rivers for them in the desert.”   

We asked God to open our eyes even more to what He is doing. Was it coincidence that I travelled the width and breadth of our country to see the rivers He is creating in the desert? I think not. But then I need to grasp God’s plan (Plan A) for my life / company / future with both hands, burn the bridges behind me (Plan B) and walk the road through the wilderness in faith… and then, then will I see the rivers He creates where we expected a desert of barrenness.

It is my prayer that I may walk the road that God has placed before me uprightly, by faith, while trusting in Him alone. Trusting not in my own wisdom, but in His divine power to direct my steps (Prov. 16:9) as I follow Plan A, His plan, for my life.