Can my free will destroy God's plan for me?

How does human free will integrate with divine will? For example, on a personal level, when you make a decision, how do you know if it's "God's plan" for you or not? What if you make the wrong decision? Does that mean Divine Plan A now becomes Divine Plan B because your free will messed up God's first plan?

There's an interesting subplot in the latter chapters of Acts. In Acts 23, Paul testifies before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, and almost starts a riot. The Roman authorities swoop in to return Paul to the barracks (where he had been held since the previous day), and the following night the Lord stood by him and said:

"Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome."
~ Acts 23:11

Eventually Paul ends up in Caesarea. After languishing for two years awaiting some kind of decision, Paul appears before Festus where, frustrated with the direction in which things were heading, he invokes his right as a Roman citizen and appeals to Caesar (who is in Rome).

"Then after Festus conferred with his council, he replied, 'You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go.'"
~ Acts 25:12

However, in an Interesting turn of events, a few days later King Agrippa and Bernice visit Festus and ask to hear Paul. He comes before them, makes his defence, and after he finishes we read:

"The king, the governor, Bernice, and those sitting with them got up. and when they had left they talked with each other and said, 'This man is not doing anything to deserve death or imprisonment.'

Agrippa said to Festus, 'This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar."
~ Acts 26:30-32

So here's an interesting thought: we don't know whether Paul's appeal to Caesar was a divinely inspired action or not. One could assume it was, or, given that it is not stated as such, one could assume it was Paul's decision alone.

If that's the case, then Paul did what humans often do - have a sense of what needs to happen (he knows God is going to send him to Rome) and then take control of the situation and figure out the best way to get there through the means at our disposal (an appeal to Caesar).

But what if that was not Divine Plan A? Perhaps the divine plan was for Paul to be released and travel to Rome by his own volition, but Paul subverted that plan by jumping in with his own solution to the problem of how to get to Rome. He had no idea Agrippa was coming. He had no idea he would have been released if he had waited a few more days.

But here's the important truth: it doesn't matter.

There is no Divine Plan A, then B after we screw up A, then C after we screw up B, and so on. There is just God's loving presence, amazing promises, and ultimate plan for a flourishing life, and his ultimate plan takes into account our free will.

You have agency over your own decisions. Do we want to use God's guidance in our decision-making? Yes, of course we do. That's why the book of James promises wisdom for those who seek it. That's one of the reasons why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit - to guide us. But in the end, unless there are circumstances beyond our control that force a certain decision, most of the decision-making rests with us - what to study, who to marry, what job to take, where to live.

That may seem kind of scary.

However, the good news is we can release the "what if I make a wrong decision" anxiety, because God's promise to guide us stays intact even after we make a bad decision, or several bad decisions in a row.

His ultimate plan is to lead us to a flourishing life. What that life looks like may change depending on the decisions we make, but it can still be a flourishing one, even if we royally mess things up (e.g. God's invitation to a flourishing life remains intact even after a spouse commits adultery, but that spouse's flourishing life may not include their current partner. It will look different, but they can still flourish if they return to God to seek healing, forgiveness, and future guidance).

In Paul's case, we don't know whether God's plan was an appeal to Caesar or being released by Agrippa, but it didn't matter. He promised Paul he would get him to Rome, and he worked in, through, and around Paul's free will to get him there.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

Does the thought of messing up God's plan make you anxious? Does it make you hesitant to decide anything? You can release that, because that's not how God works in your life.

On a larger scale, let's pretend for a moment you've made some absolutely terrible decisions. Let's pretend you made one last week, or yesterday, or this morning. You can't change that, but you can return to following God today, and he will still lead you to a flourishing life. Your gaffe may disrupt much in your life, but it won't erase God's loving presence, amazing promises, or ultimate plan.

On a smaller scale, let's pretend that to the best of your ability, given the information and resources you had on hand, you made a decision that a few days later may have been different once you had new information or resources.  It's OK. God's loving presence, amazing promises, and ultimate plan are not negated.

If you want to be an astronaut, be an astronaut. If you want to be a teacher, be a teacher. You are allowed to make choices. 

The bottom line is this: there is no Divine Plan A, or B, or C. There is just God's loving presence, amazing promises, and ultimate plan for flourishing in your life. He gave you free will. He wants you to use your free will. He works in your life in conjunction with your free will, and he promise to get you were you need to go.

So go live your life.