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Plans in His Hands

I’ll never forget the look on my sweet English teacher’s face when we ran into each other about ten years after my high school graduation, and I told her that God had called me into the ministry. With raised eyebrows, she exclaimed, “Hmmm, I thought you’d be in prison by now!”

I can tell you that the only person more surprised by God’s plan for my life than Ms. Bohannon has been me. My plan was to graduate from NSU, become a coach, and remain in LeFlore County all the days of my life. But, as most of you already know, God often alters our plans because His are so much better. If I had become a coach in LeFlore County in my twenties, I probably would have fulfilled Ms. Bohannon’s prophecy and landed in prison for losing my temper at a junior high basketball game. Instead, God redirected my plans and sent me to what I thought was the other side of the world—Hawaii. A year there working with college students confirmed to both Susan and me that God wanted us in college ministry. He then sent us to an even more foreign land—Texas! We grew a great deal during our Seminary years and were so excited when God opened doors for us to come back to Oklahoma and do college ministry for five years at OSU-Okmulgee. Then, God blessed us exceedingly and abundantly, allowing me to return to the Promised Land of LeFlore County and work at my alma mater, Carl Albert State College. My plan was to work with those students until the day God called me home, but once again God has proven that “the mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). I’m excited about this new change of plan because somewhere along the way, like many of you, I’ve learned His plans are always best.

If 2020 taught us anything, it is that we are not nearly in control of our plans as we think we are. Even something as simple as a planned trip to buy toilet paper can be completely derailed in a matter of minutes. Perhaps what we’ve learned last year will actually help us lead an even more productive new year if we give God complete freedom to do with our plans as He sees fit. Things may not go exactly as we planned, but Ephesians 2:10 reminds us “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Let’s make it our goal as believers and as an association to surrender our plans to a God who knows best and enjoy the good works He has in store.

Blessed to be your new DOM,

Bentley Hill