STEVE PIXLER

Someone once said, “People plan and God laughs.” This wry and somewhat cynical aphorism suggests that human plans are futile in the face of God’s will. It implies that no matter how much we try to control our future, God’s purpose will ultimately prevail, and our best-laid plans may be overturned by divine providence.

So, why plan?

That’s a good question—especially as we approach the “planning season” for growing churches everywhere. Fall calendars are brimming with team meetings, planning retreats, and brainstorming sessions, all wrapped around the idea that “failing to plan is planning to fail.” And no one wants to fail. So, we plan.

But the real question is: How does God feel about our plans? Is it true, as suggested above, that human plans are futile in the face of God’s will? Does God laugh at our whiteboards, our timelines, our yearly preaching schedules? Or does He partner with our plans—or, to put it more biblically, does He invite us to partner with His plans? Is it possible that God’s eternal purpose is incarnated within time and space through our planning? Is it possible that, through our strategic partnership with God, His will is done and His kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven? Can our plans manifest God’s plan?

More good questions.

Every church leader on the planet knows that God often disrupts human plans. Anyone who has led a church for more than fifteen minutes knows that God has a wild way of interrupting our regularly scheduled programming. But when God disrupts our plans, it is always because He seeks to better align our plans with His eternal purpose. God does not disrupt our plans because He rejects planning. Indeed, He disrupts our plans because planning is so important to Him that He wants us to get it right. And by “right,” I mean planning in partnership with Him.

No doubt, the way God works can be mysterious at times. But the idea that God stands back and chuckles dismissively while blundering humans attempt to find their way in the world is flat wrong. Indeed, the scope and scale of Scripture indicate the exact opposite: God created humans to collaborate with Him in creative dominion over the cosmos. Run down the list: Adam and Eve; Noah and his sons; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Moses and Israel; David, Solomon, and the temple; the kings, the priests, the prophets; the apostles and the Great Commission. On and on it goes. God simply will not do His work without people. 

Paul the apostle captures the beauty of divine-human collaboration in his powerful letter to the Ephesians. The entire first half of Ephesians 1 is all about the epic plan that God purposed in Christ before time began. For example, Paul said:

[God has made] known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:9–10, ESV)

The word rendered “plan” (ESV) could be more literally rendered “administration” (NASB). In other words, God’s eternal purpose must be administered—planned and executed—in real time until heaven and earth are brought into perfect alignment under King Jesus, the one head of all creation.

But here’s the kicker: God administers through people! As noted in Ephesians 3:2, Paul received the “administration of God’s grace,” so that he might facilitate the spread of the Gospel among the Gentiles. In other words, the administration of God’s eternal purpose was being worked out in real time through the apostolic administration given to Paul.

That’s not all. In Ephesians 4, Paul expands the scope of “the administration of grace” given to him to include “the measure of the grace” given to the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers—who then equip the saints for the work of their ministry. And when the ministry of the saints is fully functioning, the body of Christ grows into full maturity. The point is simple: God’s eternal plan is administered in the world in partnership with people.

God does not despise our plans. Indeed, He is fascinated by people willing to explore how to make the impossible possible, the eternal temporal, the invisible visible, the heavenly earthly. God is delighted by the sheer audacity of faith. He is drawn to those who lie awake at night imagining how the Kingdom might come and God’s will might be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” The heart of God longs to find a human heart that beats in sync with His.

God incarnates His eternal plan through our temporal plans. When we spend time in prayerful collaboration with God and our teams, the eternal plan of God takes shape within time and space. Believe it or not, the Spirit of God hovers over our chaos and brings it into the cosmos. He delights in the creative process. God “geeks out” when we discuss vision and mission, goals and objectives, detailed steps, resources and requirements, timelines and milestones, flexibility and contingencies, accountability, evaluation and feedback mechanisms. God even loves SWOT analysis, StrengthsFinder, and Church Health Assessments!

Obviously, all of these planning elements are powerless apart from the power of the Holy Spirit. But when we plan with God, God’s eternal plan takes shape in the world. The Word is made flesh in us. God does not bypass us or attempt to work out His will another way. He has no Plan B. People who plan are His plan.

Divine-human planning is a deeply spiritual act. Spirit-led planning is how God has chosen to build His church, advance His kingdom, and overcome the gates of hell. The work of God will not be accomplished without the willing participation of His people. Planning, therefore, is not about displacing the Spirit, but aligning with Him.

As the Fall season arrives and we begin mapping out the year ahead, imagine what could happen if we reclaimed the biblical perspective that planning is not merely administrative, but profoundly spiritual. What if our year-end meetings and retreats became sacred spaces where we seek God’s guidance, aligning our plans with His? What if we invited the Holy Spirit to lead our strategic discussions—treating planning as an act of worship and faith?

Yes, people plan and God laughs. But when God laughs at our plans, He is not mocking. God laughs like a father watching his son hit his first home run, or like a mother rejoicing when her baby girl takes her first steps. God delights in our efforts, our creativity, and our willingness to strategize with Him. And He invites us to laugh with Him in the sheer joy of partnering with God’s plan.

Have fun planning with God!

Steve and Jeana Pixler live in Mansfield, TX with their six children and a Great Pyrenees the size of a small horse. Steve and Jeana, together with an amazing team of leaders, serve as Lead Pastors at Freedom Life Church in Mansfield. stevepixler.com | myfreedomlife.com