Planning that Leads to Prosperity

›BBiblical Principles on Planning 
Experience the Amazing Plan of the Lord

Proverbs 21:5 "Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. " 

In Proverbs 21:5 it clearly shows the formula for prosperity which is equals to good planning and hard work. Many people has many wonderful plans but there are plans that never turn into reality. Good plan is a plan that is entrusted and anchored in the will and plan of God and should be  executed with hard work and perseverance.

What could possibly the reason why plans failed?  

 In Jeremiah 29:11"For I Know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future that you hope for." the Lord has plans for our lives and his plan may not be the same as our plan , but we should trust Him, let His will be done in our lives for the plan of the Lord is even much better than we can think of . 

The Amazing Plan of The Lord to Joseph the Dreamer

Let us take a look at the plan of the Lord for the life of Joseph the Dreamer at Genesis  chapter 39 to chapter 46 . He has been sold to the Egyptian as a slave by his own brothers. He was a good and hardworking servant to the house of Pothipar but his wife seduce him and he ignored her but to her shame and anger she accused him of rape, so Joseph was imprisoned. In prison he met the baker and the cup bearer both servant of the Pharaoh who was imprisoned, they had a dream and Joseph explained the meaning of their dreams .

Joseph explained the Dreams of the Cup Bearer and the Baker

Genesis 40 :9 -20

9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, 10 and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.” 12 Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. 13 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 15 For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, 17 and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” 18 And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. 19 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”

20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Joseph explained the dream of Pharoah 

Joseph gone through the most difficult times of his life be he remain faithful and keep trusting and hoping for the wonderful plan of the Lord.

Genesis 41 :39

15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it.But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. 19 After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20 The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21 But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

22 “In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23 After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.”

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

28 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

The Amazing Plan of the Lord Revealed in Genesis 40 : 37-39 

37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders.Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” 

The plan of the Lord to Joseph's life is to become the Pharaohs hand, the governor of Egypt to help the people around the world during famine and to save his family and clan , his father Jacob and even his brothers who sold him(Genesis 42). They were reunited with his family and Joseph was the channel of blessings, an amazing plan of the Lord.

My Experience and Testimony :

I remember my prayer I wanted to become a full time employee in a company a university that has elementary, high school and college, I plan that if I would be a full time there I can bring along my kids so  I can take care of them while at work and they study. But I specifically pray that my kids should avail free tuition fee from my employer/company. Sadly I did not become full time in that company instead, I did not renew my contract with them, so I thought my prayers and plan failed, it is sad and heart breaking. But one day my previous dean called me and convince me to join him in his new company which is also a university and has elementary, high school  and college which provide scholarship or free tuition for 3 children of full time employees. While my previous employer/university does not provide such scholarship and free tuition for the children of employees , I was also promoted as full time faculty and chairperson of the department in less than a year. Then I realize truly the LORDs plan is wonderful and better than my plans. 

So let the will of GOd be done in your life, Entrust him everything and obey his wonderful plan, although sometimes it seems so hard , impossible and hopeless but then that is how God works in His amazing ways!