Jeremiah 29:11
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
God has a Plan for Us
I realize that Jeremiah 29:11 was written specifically to Israel for when they would eventually come out of captivity from Babylon, but doesn’t God also have a plan for us? Surely He does. God has said that we are His handiwork and that, from before we even existed, He planned ahead of time for us to do particular good works for His glory (Eph 2:10). We should realize that God created us for a purpose, and that is for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). For Paul it was God’s master plan to make him the apostle to the Gentiles (Eph 1:1), so the point is to find out what God’s plan is for you and me, and then we can pursue it.
Your Plans for You
If you were to compare plans like the one that God has for you against the one you have for yourself, you can guess which one would be better in the long run, can’t you? Part of God’s plan was to choose you in Himself, and part of that plan was for you and me to be blameless and holy before Him. That plan originated before we were even born (Eph 1:4)! He predetermined to make us His sons and daughters (Eph 1:5), and this was according to His counsel, not ours (Eph 1:11). Which would you rather have: your plan or God’s? It seems when I plan things, they don’t always work out the way I expected them to, and they often turn out badly. God’s plans never do.
Your Choice
God gives us all a choice. He gives us a choice between death and life, between blessing and cursing, so He strongly urges us to by all means choose life (Deut 20:19) but He never forces His will on us. He will always frustrate the plans of man (Psalm 33:10). We might think it’s our plan, but God has the final say (Prov 16:1). Even a pagan king’s heart is directed wherever God purposes and directs it wherever He wills (Prov 23:1); therefore, if we commit to God and to following His plan for our lives, known or unknown, He will establish us in the right way (Prov 16:3). God makes null and void the plans of man, including yours and mine, but He always does what is pleasing to Him, for what pleases Him will in time please us.
A Closing Prayer
Oh Father in heaven, thank You for overriding my imperfect plans and my will so that You can achieve Your perfect plan for me. That is what I want, even when it doesn’t feel like it. I trust You above anything that I plan. Give me the help to trust You in the way that I should go, and in your Holy Son’s Name, Jesus Christ, I pray.
Amen
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