05/23/2019
Who plans your life? Are you busy laying out the future details regarding where you are going, what you will accomplish, or the places you will rest and take sustenance? If these plans are being made by anyone other than God then you will lead an unfulfilled life indeed. His plan, and His will are more than an aside... they are the sole road through life which will lead us to a joyous eternity with Him.
“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Psalms 138:8 ESV
In my youth I was filled with self-confidence, and thought that I had the solution to every problem; that I was the only one who could determine the way I was to live my life. My days were filled with busy tasks, because I woke up each morning prepared to accomplish a list of tasks that I had laid out for myself the night before. This worked fairly well until I hit the first of life’s insurmountable problems, and it was then that I realized my true need for God to be directing me. Suddenly He was included in my nightly preparations for the next day, and I listened intently for His voice as I prepared my list.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.”
Jeremiah 29:11-12 ESV
Does this sound familiar to you? Are you struggling through life because you can’t bring yourself to let go of the reins, and to become a passenger rather than the driver in your life. Self confidence is a wonderful attribute if properly directed, and mine had to be made subject to God’s will... once it was then the fruit of my confidence surpassed my wildest dreams.
“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”
Hebrews 10:35-36 ESV
Planning... it can be as exciting as the journey itself. I am not a gambler, but in America we have a lottery. The ticket is cheap, but the odds of winning are long. The payout increases each time there isn’t a winner, and occasionally it reaches several hundred million dollars. On just such an occasion I bought a single ticket, and brought it home... my wife and I used that ticket to spark the dreams of all the things we would do if we had that money. I took out a piece of paper and wrote down each of our dreams. We talked of everything we would like to do for our children, the vacations we would take, the homes we would buy... it was great fun just to fantasize in this way. Even our make-believe plan thrilled us. It wasn’t a real plan, but it demonstrates the way we can enjoy planning out our future. In the early years of our marriage we did the same thing with our lives... we would lay in bed at night and dream of the things we would accomplish in life; you know these things... how many children we would have, the house we dreamed of living in, and the places we would see. These were all our personal dreams, and our personal desires, but interestingly enough when we seek God’s plan for us, and His will for our lives, it is just as exciting... except now it is real. Unlike the wishing and hoping, out of youthful indulgence, these plans are cast in stone, and the Lord of all creation is our partner in them. He keeps our focus on the tasks at hand, which He knows will satisfy both His will, and what was once just our dream.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:33-34 ESV
As certain as we are in our own ability to navigate life by charting our course through it, we will find ourselves embroiled in issues, conflict, or facing some insurmountable challenge that will bring us to our knees. When this happens we regret not having sought God’s counsel from the beginning.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
There is trouble in everyone’s life, and we will all face heartbreak and hardship, but if we place ourselves within the will of God our path through it will be made straight, and His goodness will sustain us. Through our faith in Jesus we will endure the suffering, and claim the good that awaits us... this is ultimately God’s plan for us.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 ESV
Prayer:
Thank you Father for your plan, and will, that is being worked out in my life. Thank you for walking with me through all of my days; the good and the bad, the joyous and the sorrowful, and even through death itself... that shadowed valley. Show me your will clearly as I seek it in prayer, and let none of my life’s plans be made without your hand firmly upon them. Help me Merciful Father to see my future through your eyes, and to work the tasks of my days guided by your strong hand. Let my confidence be in you alone, and my certainty never waver as I approach those times of trouble before me. Give me your Word to strengthen me, and wings of faith with which to soar above the mountains of despair that Satan raises up before me. I thank you for Jesus Christ, and your Holy Spirit who are my constant companions... they reveal your will to me when my own understanding fails me. Holy, Holy, Holy are you my God whose will for me is perfect, and whose every plan for me ends in goodness. Praised be your name as you lead me on, and great is your hand that provides for me and my family. Glorious are you Lord, for your mercy and grace know no end, and your strength defeats every enemy. I worship you in my weakness, and place myself in your strong hand. You are my Great navigator, and Jesus the compass of my life.
Rich Forbes