We Make Our Plans, but ...

In this Trials UPGRADE, Dawn writes about the coronavirus and how Christians might want to respond with biblical thinking.

A week ago, my husband's ministry trip to Ecuador was canceled. My brother-in-law's ministry trip was canceled (as well as his and his wife's vacation).

So many ministry friends are rescheduling and hoping new dates will work after the rampant COVID-19, caused by the coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2, turned into a pandemic.

Life with our new normal—at least for months to come—means holding on to our plans with a loose hand.

I'm reminded of the wise words in Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)—"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." I've always taken that as the Lord desires to create a plan for us to move forward.

God is sovereign and He "determines" our steps. But we still need to listen to His voice and obey when He speaks.

Back in January, knowing I would likely be recovered from a recent stem cell transplant by now, I made a lot of plans for March and April. The Lord had other plans for me.

We make our plans, but when they change, we need to be sensitive to what the Lord might be saying to us about how to deal with those changes!

In this current pandemic, the COVID-19 disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, the Lord is speaking to me about eight "be" concepts in the book of Ephesians—there are likely more—that can help me each day during the required shelter-in-place mandate.

Perhaps they will help you focus too.

"Be" ... in Ephesians

1. Be Still

Althought the word "be" isn't in Ephesians 1:17-21, it is a prayer Paul prayed for Christ-followers to help them become better acquainted with God (v. 17b).

In essence, Paul encouraged believers to do what the psalmist said in Psalm 46:10:

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Paul said he wanted believers to have wisdom from God, with the "eyes" of their hearts enlightened. And why? So they might "know the hope" to which He has called us. We have hope IN the Lord, and we can receive hope FROM the Lord.

Our hope is based in God's "power for us."

The risen Christ reigns, and it is His power that energizes us to face our struggles today—even a pandemic.

We need to be still and contemplate who God is, and the power we have in the mighty "exalted" One!

2. Be Wise

Ephesians 5:15-16 says we should "be very careful" how we live. We need to live with God's wise truths in mind. Why? "Because the days are evil."

We need to make wise choices in these days, and make the most of every opportunity we have to live for the Lord and proclaim who He is.

Verses 18-20 compare foolish living with wise living. Rather than indulging in things that will dull our senses, we need to be fully engaged by making the wise choice to "be filled" with the Spirit—another powerful "be" concept.

When we filled with the Spirit and making wise choices, we will speak and sing things that glorify our Father God, and we will be grateful.

3. Be Patient

Ephesians 4:2 reminds us to "be completely humble and gentle; be patient...."

Although I focused here on patience, don't miss the link to humility and gentleness!

• It takes humility to be patient in long lines at stores or airports.
• It takes humility and a patient, gentle spirit to be bear up with kids who are getting on our "last nerve" during pandemic.
• It takes patience when members of our family are going stir crazy—not knowing how to deal with sudden boredom, or reacting with anger born out of frustration.
• It takes patience when quarantined.

I'm sure you can think of other examples where patient humility and gentleness must be the rule of the day.

4. Be Compassionate

It's important to remember we are not alone in this coronavirus struggle.

This is not a time for "it's all about me."

Spiritual maturity will help us live out Ephesians 4:32a: "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other...."

In times of crisis, we may feel like we're one minute away from a meltdown.

It's easy to become self-focused. It's easy to over-react when we feel slighted or hurt by others.

This is the time to forgive with Christ-like forgiveness—("...just as in Christ God forgave you" (4:32b).

This is the time to be kind and compassionate. This is the time to give people the benefit of the doubt and be understanding—and when necessary, to show mercy!

Others are going through tough times too, and they may not know how to cope.

5. Be Loving

We are to follow God's example as His beloved children (Ephesians 5:1). We need to be "rooted and established in (His) love"—the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Loving like Christ is not an option for the believer. It's part of our godly stewardship.

Joe Carter, editor of TGC Weekly (The Gospel Coalition) wrote, "While Christians rightly poiint out that God is sovereign over all things—including the economy—we whould also recognize that we have a role to play as stewards of God's creation. ... Ultimately, stewardship is all about love."

Years ago, it seemed everyone was asking, "What Would Jesus Do?" In the stewardship of love, we seek to see people and their needs through the eyes of the Lord.

And as much as possible, and as the Lord leads, we move in love to meet needs.

It may mean something like:

• buying a package of baby wipes for a mom with little ones,
• taking a meal to a shut-in (and lingering for a conversation if he or she seems lonely), or
• filling a tank with gasoline for a doctor or nurse who still reports for duty to help those with COVID-19.

What would Jesus Do?

6. Be Light

In times of crisis, this is often the opportune time to "be light" in the darkness.

In Ephesians 5:8-10, Paul reminded the Ephesian believers they were once in spiritual darkness, "but now," he said, "you are light in the Lord."

We need to recognize we are all lost and in spiritual darkness without the Lord and His mercy. We need to remember the grace of the Lord Jesus to us from the cross.

When we remember well, we will likely want to "live as children of light." We will to make a difference in people's lives around us, and we'll want our attitudes and actions to please Him. We'll want to "shine as lights in the world" and allow our good works to glorify the Father (Philippians 2:15; Matthew 5:16).

Paul made a special request of the Ephesian believers. He wanted them to pray he would be fearless in sharing the Gospel (6:19-20).

And that should be the prayer we pray for ourselves and our brothers and sisters in Christ as we shine together for the Lord.

7. Be Strong

In these stressful times, it is important that we "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" (Ephesians 6:10-12). Our own strength may wane as we struggle with all the changes we need to make in fighting this pandemic.

We're supposed to wear the "armor of God" every day, but it's important to be SURE we're wearing it now (Ephesians 6:13-17) so we can "be strong and courageous" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

And when the battle gets especially tough, we need to remember to run to our refuge in God—He is our "strong tower" of safely (Psalm 46:1-3; Proverbs 18:10). 

8. Be Alert

Ephesians 6:18 says, "be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."

Although we need to be loving and compassionate to all people, this is a special admonition to be alert to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

We may not have the needed resource to help them in practical ways, but we always have the resource of prayer to petition God for their needs.

As we live as children of light, we also need to be alert to our adversary's strategies to attack God's flock (1 Peter 5:8).

Believers can have tough physical needs during times of trial—but sometimes the attacks of Satan in their minds and hearts are just as tough and destructive.

Be alert to ways you can encourage individual members of the family of God who are struggling with Satan's lies.

Be aware of fresh action steps that can lead to your growth, others' good, and God's glory.

Which of these "Be" concepts are you practicing now? Is there another "Be" you might consider?

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is a speaker and author, and the creator the blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She is a contracted researcher/reviewer for women's teacher and revivalist, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, at Revive Our Hearts, a blogger at TrueWoman.com, writes wiki-type posts at  Christianity.com, and is a regular columnist at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in sunny Southern California, and Dawn has traveled with Him in Pacesetter Global Outreach. They have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

Graphic adapted, initial graphic courtesty of congerdesign at Pixabay.

Helping Kids with Their GPS (God Positioning System)

Some women, like Deedra Scherm, seem to have been born with a parenting creativity gene. In this Parenting UPGRADE, she offers practical counsel for building spiritual insight into children’s lives.

“I was driving in downtown Dallas, trying to find my way to have lunch with my cousin Cathy,” Deedra says, “when I had to pull over to call my husband.”

Like Deedra, I (Dawn) often get turned around in the car. (OK, I get totally, horribly lost.) I used to feel terrible about that until I read somewhere that Einstein, a genius, often lost his way too. (Maybe that’s a myth, but I’m sticking with it!)

Deedra continues …

“I’m LOST!” I said with great frustration. “And I’m already 10 minutes late for lunch!”

“Okay," my husband said. "Just tell me where you are.”

“If I knew THAT, I wouldn’t be LOST!”

Shortly after that my husband gave me a GPS (Global Positional System) to help me navigate the roads. Is it too much to say I love my GPS? Because I do. I no longer have anxiety when I have to navigate new roads. I just turn it on and enjoy the path I’m driving.

My spiritual life needs a lot of guidance at times.  Over the years I have learned about the importance of reading God’s Word, prayer, and wise counsel, because I’ve discovered, “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9 NAS).

I wanted to start teaching my children at a very young age how to understand the importance of God’s desire to guide their lives. 

Their “God Positioning System.” Their own “GPS.”

I thought I’d share a few easy ways to help plant seeds in young children on how to seek God’s guidance for themselves. The hope is that as they get older, seeking God’s guidance will become a natural part of their lives.

1. RECORD family prayers.

It seems like such a simple thing, but it can have such a great impact when you take the time to pray as a family and write down the requests and answers. The visual of written requests and recorded answers can make a lasting impression on a child about how God listens and responds.

When you record family prayers, it not only shows kids the importance of prayer, but it encourages them to seek prayer for themselves as they face decisions in their own lives. 

2. RECALL the times God has personally guided you.

Find ways to share moments where God has guided you and your family to where you are now.

When the boys are enjoying playing at the park next to our house, I like to say, “I remember when we were looking for a place to live and we just couldn’t find anything. Then we prayed for God to open up a house near this park. What a wonderful blessing He gave us with our house.” 

When you recall how you sought God for a decision point in your life, it will encourage them to seek His guidance when they are faced with decision in front of them. 

3. RELATE your child’s story to the story of someone in the Bible.

The Word of God is one of the main paths of guidance for us as Christians. Whenever we can direct our children to find connections to scripture, it will help them be able to relate as they get older.

When your child is experiencing fear, tell them about the story of Daniel and how God will take care of them in the scariest of circumstances.  When they are worried about if they are good enough, tell them the story of the boy with five loaves and a couple of fish and how Jesus can take what you have and use it for His glory. 

When you relate your child’s story to the Bible, it will encourage them to seek the Word for guidance when they are faced with challenging circumstances before them.

4. REMEMBER to show God’s provision in the “less-than-what-I-hoped-for.”

I remember circling a parking lot with my three boys in the car when the “front row” spot opened. “It’s the favor of God!” said one boy.  

At first, I was a little proud at his response. But as I thought about it, I realized that if I only thank God for the good things, when things get tough the kids could believe it’s because God has no hand in it. 

The next time we got the back-row spot, I said, “Oh, it would have been great to be in the front row, but maybe God knew I needed some extra exercise. Or maybe someone who has trouble walking needed that spot more than we did.” 

After time, I saw the boys applying this principle to all sorts of areas in their lives … from when they didn’t win the prize in the raffle to when someone else at church got the starring spot in the spring musical. 

When you remember to show God’s provision in tough times, it will encourage kids to trust God’s plan even when things don’t go their way.

What a great gift you can give to your kids if you teach them to have their own “GPS.” Then they can stop worrying about being lost, and really start enjoying the journey!

Can you think of a teachable moment when you recently taught a child (or a mentee or a friend) how to trust God for guidance? Which of Deedra’s four points could you use in the days ahead?

Deedra Scherm lives in Dallas with her husband and three boys. Between homeschooling and writing, she’s on constant watch for “parents night out” so she and her hubby can get one of those things called a date night. You can find Deedra’s  bestselling book, The ABC Bible Verse Book, and other books and DVDs at lemonvision.com or amazon.com.