Kids Bible Devotional for July 16, 2024
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Focus Verse
Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. (NKJV)
Jump Start
“The best-laid schemes of Mice and Men go oft awry, and leave us only grief and pain.”
That was a few lines from Robert Burns’ 1785 poem “To a Mouse,” with a little editing so it can be more easily understood in modern English. The statement means that no matter how carefully we plan, something may not go the way we wanted.
Events and trips can get cancelled. People get sick. The weather can turn treacherous. A pandemic can hit, and the world shuts down and shelters at home. Things like these can change our plans and result in disappointments.
And then sometimes God changes our plans. Maybe to protect us. Maybe to teach us. Maybe because He has a better plan. Even these can be confusing and frustrating, if we’re being honest. In Romans 15, Paul tells the saints at Rome he planned to visit them but was hindered. In Acts 16, we learn they the Holy Ghost forbade him to preach in Asia and detoured him to Macedonia.
Even if our plans change, we can trust that God knows the way we take, and can work all things for good.
Today's Devotion
After her dad parked their minivan in the airport parking lot, Karla bounded out of the car. “Yeah! Let’s go! I’m ready to get to Colorado.”
She opened the back door to retrieve her suitcase. Dad came around to the back. “Hang on there, sweetie. Let me help you.”
“I just can’t wait to get to the resort,” she said. “I hope there’s tons of snow on the mountain to ski.”
“Well, honey, we can’t get there any sooner than the plane,” her mother said.
Dad’s cell phone signaled that he had a text message. As he read the message, a frown came over his face. “Well, I don’t think snow is going to be the problem. But the plane’s another story.”
“What happened?” Mom asked.
“Our flight’s been cancelled. A huge snowstorm has grounded all flights into the Colorado airport. They’ve rebooked us to the first flight out tomorrow.”
“But what about our trip?” Karla whined.
“The trip’s still on. Just delayed, that’s all,” Dad replied.
Karla stomped her foot. “I want to go today! We planned the whole week, and now it’s ruined!”
Mom bent down and looked Karla in the eye. “Listen sweetie, sometimes our plans don’t turn out exactly the way we want them to. That doesn’t mean everything’s ruined. Think of it this way. If the airlines ignored the weather and let us travel, our lives could have been in danger. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”
“No,” Karla sniffed.
“Remember our talk the other night?” Dad said. “We make plans with good intentions, but sometimes God changes our plans. He sees the dangers that lie ahead that we can’t.”
“He knows what’s best,” Karla said.
“That’s right,” Dad said. “And as far as I’m concerned, we’re still officially on vacation. Let’s get a room at a nearby hotel so we be fresh in the morning. Then we can try out that new restaurant we heard about from Sam and Tamika.”
“Can I swim in the swimming pool at the hotel?” Karla asked.
“I don’t see why not since you already brought along your suit for the resort,” Mom said. “And I’m so glad you you’re seeing the good in this change of plans.”
Wrap Up
The followers of Jesus expected that He would rise to power and overthrow the oppressive Roman authority. Instead, Jesus was arrested and crucified on a cross. Imagine the fear and disappointment they must have experienced in the three days when Jesus lay dead in the tomb. What they did not understand was the significance of that sacrifice and the power of His resurrection.
God may have other plans that we don’t know about. We may not always understand why things don’t go the way we hoped. But our lives are in God’s hands. He directs our path.
Be willing to let God have His way, even if He wants to do something different than what you had planned.
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