Plans that Stand
Psalms 33:10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations
The Lord sees the plans that nations and people make. All those plans that do not place His purposes at the center, are plans in which God is not interested. These plans may not be evil in nature and may only serve a temporal purpose.
We serve an eternal God who knows the end from the beginning. We serve a God who has put eternity in our hearts. While all of us must attend to temporal matters, or matters pertaining to our life in this present world, we also must pursue those purposes that have eternal value. These are the plans inspired of God that will stand forever. The most significant feature of such plans is that they express his heart by not being limited to our lifetimes. God's plans span the generations.
So the key for aligning our plans with the plan of God is to understand his generational purposes. From my understanding of the Scriptures, what I have seen from the Garden of Eden, to Abraham, to Moses, to Israel, to our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the emergence of the church, is that God wants a family. And He wants His family to grow together, walk in love, and then share that love with those who do not know Jesus Christ.
Those plans that involve edifying God's family and encouraging others to know Christ are the plans that will not be thwarted, but will stand forever.
