Man proposes, God disposes.

People may make plans and pursue them with care, but the final course of events is not wholly theirs to command. The proverb frames unforeseen outcomes as subject to divine will rather than human intention.

It can express humility after a plan is overturned, or caution against treating even sensible arrangements as certain. In its explicitly religious framing, it need not deny the value of planning, responsibility, or practical action.

Use it when plans are disrupted by circumstances beyond personal control, especially in a religious or reflective setting. It may comfort someone after disappointment, but can sound fatalistic or dismissive if used to minimize another person’s effort or loss.