How the Resurrection Affects Strategic Planning

Trust in the Lord who is Capable of Raising the Dead
What does the resurrection of Jesus have to do with strategic planning? — A lot!

The kind of God who can raise the dead is One we can trust to direct our plans. — “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:5-6)

Trusting God in Our Strategic Planning Because of the Resurrection

Because of our human tendencies we need to trust in One whose ways are greater and higher than we can fathom (Ps. 145:3; Isa. 40:28; 55:9). A God capable of raising the dead certainly qualifies. Left to our own understanding and ways, we’ll have issues in strategic planning like what follows. Relying on God’s resurrection power, however, we can rise above and strategically plan in ways that count for eternity.

Sometimes we aren’t sure which direction to go. God’s wisdom, as demonstrated in raising Jesus from the dead, is available to us if we just ask (James 1:5). God could have raised Jesus immediately but waited until the third day. He knew that it would help strengthen the disciples’ faith in the power of God as they became proclaimers of the Gospel message. To the world the cross seems like foolishness but in the end we see God’s wisdom as it demonstrated God’s power (1 Cor. 1:18-21), once and for all, to conquer sin and death.

So, “trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”. When you do, you can count on Him for direction, to “make your paths straight”, giving you the wisdom needed for strategic planning. — “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” (Prov. 3:7-8)

Sometimes we have a tendency to push ahead prematurely or lag behind. God’s timing, however, is always best as seen in how He sent Jesus to die in our place and come back to life at just the right time in history. — “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” (Gal. 4:4) This was a time when communication, travel, and culture facilitated the dissemination of the Gospel message unlike previous eras.

Hence, “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”. When you do, you’ll not only plan the best course of action but in the best timing.

Sometimes we have a tendency to limit our plans to only what is in front of us. We mustn’t, however, forget the availability of God’s “incomparably great power … That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 1:18-20) Though we may struggle to believe, feeling a bit weak at times, remember that “he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him … (2 Cor. 13:4). Because of His resurrection, we can rise above our insecurities and fears. We can get beyond doing only that which feels comfortable.

So, “trust in the Lord with all your heart .. submit all your ways to Him” knowing that if His power could raise Jesus from the dead, it is certainly sufficient for taking you wherever God would have you go.

Sometimes we find it hard to change and so we get stuck in our ways, making plans that line up with the way we’ve always done it. Change, however, is possible when we walk in the newness of life we’ve been given because of the resurrection. We can let go of the old, even considering it as garbage, as we press on, wanting “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection” (Phil. 3:10).

Therefore, “trust in the Lord … lean not on our understanding … and acknowledge Him” so you find the confidence to take off the old and put on the new in whatever ways He may want to lead you.

Sometimes we arrive at the right plans but get there the wrong way. We may find ourselves quarrelling with one another, playing politics, etc. We operate from a worldly or fleshly perspective rather than from our position as those who have been raised up with Jesus in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6).

So, “submit all your ways to Him” because process matters to Him, not just the end result.

For a Breakdown of Proverbs 3:5-6, Go To: Lining Up with God: What It Means, Why It Matters

For More on the Resurrections, Go To: Resources about Resurrection Power

How the Resurrection Affects Strategic Planning

Trusting God in Our Strategic Planning Because of the Resurrection

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