“Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land" (Gen 12:6).

Barely three years after I accepted the call to full-time ministry in 1996, I decided that in order to prepare myself better, I should return to Liberia for further studies.

With the approval of my leaders, I made plans. I left the city where I was serving in Nigeria and traveled to Lagos. With my sister’s help, I processed my documents and secured a place on a ship sailing to Monrovia. After waiting at the wharf for two nights, I finally stood in line to board, full of anticipation. There were only a few of us left. Hundreds had already boarded. It seemed my turn would come any moment.

Then suddenly, a voice cried out, “The ship is leaving!” At first, it made no sense. But as we stood there in disbelief, we watched the ship begin to pull away from the dock. I was stunned. My carefully made plan was slipping away before my eyes.

Still determined to carry on, I quickly pursued another option. A good friend of my father offered to help me join an ECOMOG helicopter heading to Liberia the following week. I was relieved and excited. But that night, as I prepared to sleep, I heard a quiet whisper in my heart: "Won’t you pray about this?" I knew that voice. So I paused everything. I booked a room at a guest house and set aside time to seek the Lord. On the first day, as I read His Word, He spoke clearly to my heart: *Stay here in this land, and I will bless you. I will take care of those you left behind. If you need to see them, I will bring them to you. You follow Me."

That word broke me. Not because it was harsh, but because it was so loving. God had interrupted my plan, not to deny me, but to lead me into something better. I obeyed. I laid down my personal plan and returned to my base. Four months later, I was engaged to my future husband. A little over a year later, we were married, and eleven months after that, we had our first child. True to His promise, I have seen family members visit from Liberia, including my youngest sister, who had not even been born when I left Liberia years earlier. And through it all, I have seen growth in my life, my family, and my ministry. The Lord proved faithful.

Abram also chose God’s plan over his own. He left what was familiar and secure to follow the Lord into an unknown future. It could not have been an easy decision. Yet he trusted the One who called him more than the life he could have built for himself. And because of his obedience, nations have been blessed and continue to be blessed.

Moving ahead with your own plan without first seeking the Lord may not bring immediate disaster. But it can quietly limit your life to what your strength, wisdom, and circumstances can produce. It leaves little room for the supernatural. God’s plan, on the other hand, is always designed for greater fruit, deeper growth, and fuller purpose. The Lord does not guide us to harm us. He leads us because He sees farther and has better or us than we could ever dream or imagine.

Whose plan are you following, yours or His?

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I choose to trust and obey You, because Your thoughts toward me are good and not evil, to give me a hope and a future. Help me to lay down my own plans when they do not align with Yours. Teach me to value Your direction above my preferences, and to follow You with confidence, knowing that Your plan is always better. In Jesus’ name, amen.