“Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht”

“Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht” is an old Yiddish adage meaning, “Man Plans, and God Laughs.” Despite our most careful planning, the Road of Life is unpredictable.  If we have learned anything from this year of COVID-19 we have certainly learned the truth of this ancient proverb.  This was to be the year of celebrating our 40^th wedding anniversary with a Rhine River Cruise.  When we booked and paid for the special trip at the beginning of the year no one in our country had heard of CORONA or COVID-19.  Heck, I had never even heard of the previous 18 COVIDS!  I guess they never got out of hand until number 19 came along.  Now we have to do our best to stay married to try again next year. 

In all seriousness, there have been far more serious changes to plans due to the deadly virus than our trip.  People have lost loved ones, health, jobs, etc.  We do not know how the world will be on the other side of COVID but we know it will not be the same.  There will be permanent scars. 

Proverbs 19:21 says; “Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”  I do not believe that God necessarily has a purpose in disease or disaster.  I have long studied and proclaimed that we live in a “sin-scarred” world where bad things happen sometimes for no rhyme or reason other than we live in a fallen world.  The earliest teaching of the Bible declares that deciding to do ‘what we choose’ instead of obeying ‘what God said’ brings disastrous consequences.   Before man’s disobedience there was no recorded sickness, storms, death, destruction or even a heat wave.  So, over the years when I have been with families dealing with tragic sickness, tragedy or death, I have never said; “You know God has a purpose in this!” That is not what Proverbs 19:21 says.  It tells us that God’s purpose prevails no matter what our thoughts, plans or actions may be.  So, what is God’s purpose when things do not go as we planned? 

I will explain and finish this thought in a few moments.  But first let me set the stage.  We do live in an imperfect world and we all have our flaws and shortcomings.  I recently told my wife that anything made by man will eventually break or malfunction.  Who knows what we were talking about?  I was probably making another excuse for something I broke but anyway…the point is that even when we try our best things probably will not work out as we planned. 

I confess that early in my ministry I would be planning a sermon and the thought would pop into my head that this is exactly what a certain person needs to hear.  Inevitably that particular person would be absent that following Sunday.  So, much for my plan!  I also have memories of working all week to have a message that would come to a great climax to make the critical point.  As I would get to that crucial place in the sermon either a baby would begin crying or someone would begin coughing loudly.  Now everyone would be watching the baby or the coughing victim.  Again, so much for my plan!  

Over the years I have participated and led many overseas mission trips.  I would always give an orientation as many participants had never been overseas.  I told them to memorize two words that would become helpful at some point; “BE FLEXIBLE”!  I learned that no matter how well I planned something unexpected would always happen and being OCD, I planned excessively.  My largest group was a team of 53 volunteers going to Romania.  We had people from 24 churches over different parts of the state.  The plan had team members flying from 5 different regional airports to Atlanta where we would all meet at the gate for our flight to Romania on the same plane.  I had many trips under my belt and was not worried about the logistics…until I was ready to board my flight for Atlanta.  I was informed that weather had delayed several flights in other cities.  We wound up scattered on several flights over the Atlantic Ocean.  When I landed in Europe, as I was rushing to the desk to find out where and when the rest of the team would arrive I was repeating my mantra…BE FLEXIBLE…BE FLEXIBE.  I did manage to get all 53 people together for our mission work in Romania and safely home but not as I planned. 

While it is good and practical to make plans, we need to be aware that God may indeed be smiling as He sees the big curveball that is heading our way.  Again, I do not believe that God may have always thrown the curveball.  As stated previously, we live in a world of uncertainty and chaos that is primarily due to our own limited wisdom and poor decisions as a human race explained in Genesis 3.  While God may not always cause the disruption in our plans He may let it happen.  Now back to Proverbs 19:21, no matter how many and how diverse our plans may be God has a purpose that will prevail.  

I think often of the Apostle Paul.  Paul was following God’s leadership preaching and wound up in jail.  The normal response might be, “This is the thanks I get! Why try?”  However Paul changed his thinking.  This was not what I planned but how can God’s purpose prevail here?  He no longer had to worry about gathering an audience.  He now had a ‘captive’ audience with the guards as he explained in Philippians 1:12-30.  When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.  Rather than becoming discouraged, disappointed or frustrated when our plans are not working look for God’s purpose in the day or the moment.  He always wants us to practice patience, kindness and love no matter how our plans have blown up or what the situation may be.  That may sound simplistic but that is always His purpose.  When we seek to have the most loving response no matter what happens His purpose will always prevail and we will find His joy.    

Are We In The Last Days?

Interpreting the signs of the end times can be tricky, depending on who you listen to and the many different interpretations of scriptures.  Since the ascension of Jesus well-meaning Christians have looked at various events considered as signs in their times and had diverse interpretations to predict the coming of the end times and have always been wrong.  How do I know they were all wrong?  Well, Jesus has not come again yet and we are still here aren’t we?  People in the days of the Apostle Paul thought the signs had been fulfilled in their day.  Some stopped working thinking the end was about to happen at any moment.  “If the end of the world is coming tomorrow, why go to work?”  He addressed some of that in his letters to the Thessalonians.

Numerous sincere believers thought World War 1 was Armageddon and Kaiser Wilhelm was the Antichrist.  When the war ended and Jesus did not return many lost faith.  When Nixon was dealing with foreign policy that some believers did not approve people started looking at signs of the end times.  There was even a formula concocted by some using numbers to substitute for letters of the alphabet (example A=1, B=2, C=3, etc.) to determine that the Antichrist was the Secretary of State in the Nixon administration.  The total numerical value of Henry Kissinger’s name added up to 666. Oohhh!!!

Then along came Operation Desert Storm, the war in Iraq and many sought to make that fit into their understanding of fulfilled Biblical prophecy.  All of this is to say that depending on one’s interpretation the signs have been fulfilled in every generation.  However we must remember that Jesus did not give us signs to be used for predicting the time of his second coming.  They were simply given as messages to give hope in times of persecution and difficulty to encourage believers to remain faithful. 

The book of Revelation was an uninterrupted drama that was meant to be read aloud in one sitting to gain the full effect of the story.  It was not intended to be chopped up and dissected to be used to make prophecy charts and prediction of the fulfillment of particular signs.  If one were to stop a classic movie every few moments and make charts and debate or discuss every detail of the previous scene one would probably miss the drama and full meaning of the story.  It is filled with symbolism that was not to be taken as much literally but to tell a colorful story conveying a message to believers not to be discouraged no matter how difficult things become in the world at a given time, those who remain faithful will be saved in the end.   Not looking at the story in its entirety can give the wrong message.  For instance if one were to view a few isolated scenes from ‘Gone With The Wind’ out of context of the whole movie one could get the idea that Rhett and Scarlett were the ideal couple.  That is certainly not the case when one views the entire movie.  I have long had a mental picture of those who use scriptures to form charts and graphs so they can ‘know’ and ‘properly interpret the signs of the times’ being shocked when Jesus shows up…not on their timetable but His and they are stunned saying, “This can’t be right.  I still have two squares unchecked on my chart!” 

One of the best places I could refer concerning interpreting such signs is Matthew 24 where Jesus addressed the disciples’ questions about the end times.  Jesus clearly says that no one knows when the end will come in verse 36; “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Verses 42-46 give a good summary of the way Jesus wanted us to look and live in preparation for that day; “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.  But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”

I have a personal theory (more for fun more than theology) that Jesus will return on the third day after His ascension.  He was in the tomb three days and was resurrected so I think it would be great symmetry to return for His second coming on the third day after his ascension into Heaven.  Wait, that was some 2000 years ago…we are way past the third day!!!  Hey, don’t forget that, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (Psalm 90:4 & 2 Peter 3:8)  So according to that timetable, Jesus has only been away a couple of days and perhaps will return in another day…sometime around the year 3000.  So, hang in there!

Seriously, in my humble opinion, there have always been troubling times in history and there have always been those who seek to make the events of the time fit their agenda or theology. However, I believe it is best not to worry about such matters, as Jesus said, but to be faithful each day because we do not know when The End Times (or our end time) will come.  So live each day to the fullest honoring God and sharing His love to those around you and I think it will all work out OK for you whenever the end comes.