Thwarted Plans

“You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first…” (Galatians 4:13)

Tim Keller comments on this verse:

Ministry does not happen strictly according to human plan. Paul had not targeted Galatia in his strategic planning sessions, but God brought him there. Now we cannot infer from this text that strategic planning is wrong. (Paul did not repent and stop making plans for his missionary journeys! We see, for example, that he continued to target the largest cities of every region as a way to reach the region.) We must use the wisdom that we have to make plans. We must be stewards of our time and resources, and must plan to use them in the way that will best produce fruit. But this does teach that we must be very relaxed and willing to let God edit our plans greatly…

Most of us can provide personal illustrations of how God worked in our lives or the lives around us through mistakes, “disasters,” troubles, and thwarted plans, often far more than through our deliberate actions and goals. (Galatians: Living in Line with the Truth of the Gospel)