DO YOU HAVE A CONTINGENCY PLAN?

Benjamin Franklin wrote, “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”  With that in mind, it is always good to have a “Contingency Plan” just in case the unexpected happens to the best laid plans.   I have often had to resort to “Plan B” when “Plan A” just wouldn’t come together.  It is a good thing to keep “Plan B” close when planning a party, cooking a dinner or picking out the perfect outfit for the occasion, but what about when we commit to following the Will of God?  God has ONE PLAN.  It is perfect so there is no need for a Contingency Plan.  The Bible gives us some examples of individuals who thought “Plan A” could use a little refining but always, “Plan B” didn’t turn out so well for them.

One of the first examples occurred in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land.  The people were hungry and God rained down manna.  “Plan A” was that the people would gather just enough for today (except the day before the Sabbath) and trust God that He would provide for tomorrow.  Perhaps fear and hunger replaced trust or maybe they thought they could save some energy, but some decided to institute “Plan B” and gathered enough for today and tomorrow.  Well “Plan B” resulted in wormy manna and the people discovered “Plan A” was just fine.  A few years later, Joshua led the Israelites against the city of Jericho.  “Plan A” was to abstain from all the spoil of war with certain items being consecrated to the Lord and put into the treasury.  A man named Achan decided on “Plan B” and took a Babylonian garment, gold and silver, hiding them under his tent.  Once again “Plan B” didn’t work out so well, the Israelite army was defeated in their next battle, at AI and it ultimately resulted in the death of Achan and his entire family.  There are other examples in the Bible of people setting aside the Plan of God and instituting a Contingency Plan of their own.  Every time “Plan B” ended in disaster.

Let’s take a look at the people who put unwavering faith in the plan of God with no thought of a contingency plan; “just in case.”  Noah obeyed by building the ark and getting into it when God said “it’s time.”  There was one door, which God shut and Noah and his family were saved according to “Plan A”.  The account of Elisha as he prepares to follow Elijah says, he took the yoke of oxen, he had been plowing with, slaughtered them, used the yoke for firewood to roast them, fed the people and left.  Talk about burning bridges….Elisha burned the whole team of oxen; there would be no “Plan B” to come back to if “Plan A” didn’t work. As a result of Elisha sticking to “Plan A” with no contingency plan, he was given a “double portion” of Elijah’s anointing.   Finally, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were ordered by Nebuchadnezzar to bow to the image with the threat of death for disobedience.  “Plan A” said, “Thou shall have no other gods before me.”  Daniel 3:16-18 proves that the 3 men never considered “Plan B;” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”  Their faith in the Plan of God with no consideration for contingencies brought them through the fire, through the flood, built a nation and performed great miracles; God still rewards that kind of faith…If one person will dare to embrace “Plan A” with no contingencies.

Three times in my adult life has God said “GO.”  Even with my crazy personality of planning and lists, I understood that Steve and I had to follow “Plan A.”  We left family, friends, jobs, sold houses, packed up the kids and went.  Things didn’t always turn out the way we envisioned but the Blessing of God has been abundant.  FAITH says, “I may not understand the details but I trust in the Plan Maker, so I will go.”  FAITH says, “I wouldn’t do it this way but I’m following HIS WAY, so I trust it is for my good.”  FAITH says, “I cannot see the path clearly but my hand is held firmly by my Loving Father and when the way gets rough, I will be carried in His strong arms, so I keep walking.” 

God has always had only ONE PLAN; “Plan A.”  When you commit to follow God there can be NO CONTINGENCIES. You may have to kill and roast the oxen, build a boat or go through a fiery furnace.  It requires FAITH, TRUST, and COMMITMENT but His plan is perfect and it makes packing for the journey a whole lot easier.