When does human planning get in the way of trusting God for results? (75-2)

A built in question for a Christian leader is “When does human planning get in the way of trusting God for results?” Or conversely, “When does faith become a leader’s presumption on God, expecting God to do for us what He expects us to do for ourselves?” Read Joshua 8:1-29.

In Chapter 7 we read of the debacle that took place in the first attack of Ai. In Chapter 8 Joshua demonstrates a balance between faith and human planning as the Israelites prepare to attack Ai a second time. God ordered the attack and instructed Joshua to “Set an ambush behind the city,” but gave few other details of the attack. Once God had given Joshua the green light, Joshua planned and carried out the particulars of the attack. Once Joshua knew he had God’s blessing on the project, he gave clear orders to his army in obedience to God’s instruction. There was no hint of uncertainty or indecisiveness; instead, his commands were clear, authoritative and specific.

Every Christian leader will experience the tension between divine guidance and human strategy. Joshua waited until God sanctioned the project then he placed his faith in God for the results and did not hesitate to lay wise plans and execute them. Too often our leadership model is like the first attack on Ai; we push into the project wholeheartedly and only consult God after we run into problems we can’t figure out. To be truly effective, Christian leaders need to be patient in seeking God’s blessing before they start a project and then, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, be aggressive in planning and carrying out the details once they are certain God has given His OK.

This subject of divine guidance and human strategy is too important to leave after one day. Tomorrow we get another look at seeking God before starting a project.

When does your past track record show you most often seek God’s guidance before a project starts or when you run into difficult or impossible situations during the project?