I guess we all begin reassessing our lives around middle age; I know I did. Like so many, I didn’t like where I was or the fact that I’d gotten no further. I had certainly planned to have been in a far better place and to have had many more spiritual miles under my belt; nevertheless, such was not the case. To say I was disappointed with my progress and apprehensive about my future is an understatement.

It took a precious truth from Scripture and a little poem that I penned for myself to rescue me from the middle-aged doldrums. In hopes of aiding others in their escape from the midlife crisis, I’d like to share this important scriptural truth and my little verse.

Let’s begin with the truth. In 1 Corinthians 16:5-9, the Apostle Paul shares his plans for the future with the Christians in Corinth. Paul planned to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, then to travel and minister through Macedonia, then to winter in Corinth with the Christians there, and finally to go on from Corinth to wherever the Lord would lead him. Notice the tentativeness of Paul's plans. He uses the expressions: (1) Perhaps I will stay with you awhile (2) Wherever I go (3) I hope to spend some time with you, and (4) If the Lord permits. Paul understood that when it comes to the fruition of our future plans the bottom line is always what “the Lord permits.”

This great truth of Scripture is most clearly taught in James 4:13-15, where James admonishes us to always add to our future plans this poignant footnote—“If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” Our best plans and intentions are always subject to the will of God. Therefore, we can never write them in indelible ink, but only in erasable chalk. God can erase them or revise them anytime He wants to.

Now, this doesn't mean that we should not make plans for our future. Indeed, as the old adage suggests, failing to plan is planning to fail. All Christians should plan to become all that they can be, to go as far as they can go, and to do all that they can do for God. To do anything less is unworthy of our God. Still, in the end, our plans are ultimately in God's hands, not our own hands.

Although the Apostle Paul is arguably the greatest Christian who ever lived, and even though he penned 1 Corinthians 16:5-9 under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he was unable to carryout his tentative plans due to circumstances beyond his control. As a result, some of the Corinthians accused him of being unreliable (see: 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:13). Rather than commending him for planning to do what he thought was best, the Corinthians condemned him for being unable to carryout his plans.

If some of the Apostle Paul’s future plans failed to come to fruition, certainly some of ours will as well. When they do, we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves for failing to carryout our plans due to circumstances beyond our control. Neither should we condemn others for their inability to accomplish all of their good and sincere intentions. Instead, we should esteem everyone who seriously plans to do their best for God as someone worthy of commendation, not condemnation.

Whether you’ve figured it out yet or not, God’s plans for you are better than your plans for yourself. For instance, Paul was rendered no less effective in Christ's service by his failure to fulfill his tentative plans; in fact, his failure to fulfill his plans resulted in an additional book being added to our New Testament, the Book of Second Corinthians.

King David planned to build God a temporal, physical temple—a building that was eventually built by David’s son Solomon and destroyed by the Chaldeans more than twenty-five hundred years ago. However, God had a much bigger and better plan for David than David had for himself. God planned to use David to build a spiritual and eternal kingdom (2 Samuel 7:1-17).

The ancient Prophet Jeremiah wrote, "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). All of us can rest assured that God’s plans for us are “good, acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). There is nothing we can do to improve upon them. Thus, while we’re planning on doing our best for God, we should also be relying upon God to do what’s best for us, even when it’s not in our plans.

To put it all succinctly, we should always plan to do our best, while trusting God with all of the rest. Well, as promised, here is my paltry attempt at turning this truth into rhyme.

Try and reach the highest star.

Be not concerned that its distance is very far.

For remember that the final test is not if you reached it,

But if you tried your best.