“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.” (Proverbs 16:1).

As I sat at a table full of pastors, my plan was set. Through prayer and thought, time and research, observation and faith, I had come to my conclusion. I had written down bullet points and was now ready to share the plan of my heart. Then something magical happened, only it wasn’t magic, but the Spirit of God changing plans as they traveled from my heart to my tongue. What came out of my mouth was something clearer, stronger, and better than what I had formulated in my mind.

We make our plans, but the LORD wishes to refine them. When we live in fellowship with others and cry out to Him in prayer, the plans are solidified and altered in those conversations. For the Spirit-led person, the answer of the tongue is gold. To hash out a plan in prayer to God or dialogue with others is one way to watch His sovereignty at work.

Don’t think you have to discover the plans of life alone. Open your heart to God by opening your mouth to Him. Open your heart to solid believers by opening your mouth to them. As you do, you might find the answer of the tongue stronger than the plan of the heart. Thank Him for the work of His Spirit in those moments.