THE PLANS WE MAKE

Life is amazing. It is full of opportunities. It is often said that life is what you make it. And that is true to an extent. We all get 365 days in a year and 24 hours in a day, until the day we check out. All of us. And what we do with that time, for most of us, is determined by our choices. There are times in life when we are bound by our parents or various circumstances, but what we do with them is up to us. Or is it?
 
Proverbs 16:9 says that, “a man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” We can make choices on where to go but there are other factors that can alter what happens, firstly, being the Lord. I know 2 beautiful people that looked like the ideal Christian couple. They married, had a kid, got into ministry, had a great impact, the child grew and was an exceptional person of integrity and grace. This was their only child. By the age of 20 she had finished college that she had started in high school and was in law enforcement and was even continuing her education there. Last year, she had a horrible traffic incident that took her life. Pause. Did anyone plan on that? Everything was going so good. She had no idea that she was going to only be given 20 years. Praise God, it can be said that she was a huge blessing and made the most of it.
 
Two beautiful parents must now learn to live with the loss of their only child. A person can only plan so much. How many people plan for their career or later retirement and for how many does it work out like they planned? It is almost impossible because there are so many factors in life.  Life is like a highway with all kinds of road surfaces. Sometimes you can see the mountain ahead and sometimes the road throws us a curve while we are in a steep grade going up or down. Sometimes we can be in heavy traffic and the vehicle ahead drops an obstacle on the road right in front of us. Maybe we have time to swerve or slam on the breaks but sometimes we are forced to hit it or be hit by the one behind us. Our plans are just that, our plans.
  
It is important to realize that we are not our own. Everything in this world belongs to God, the earth, including everything and everyone in it.

• Psalms 24:1 The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein.

 
So what can we do about the many elements that are beyond our control? Give up and let life go by however it happens? We must never forget that we were not put on God’s earth randomly. We are the actual purpose of His plans. We will always be the purpose of the bigger picture, being that our spiritual beings are eternal and Father God wants us to live with Him and for Him.
 
When we live in the natural body without spiritual concerns, we plan on what to eat, how to pay our bills, who to be with, how to find comfort and pleasure and what we will do about tomorrow and other such concerns. But as believers, we know that life is much more than that. And that God has higher plans for this earth and the people in it. His plans consider our physical needs and comforts, but His plans are to call out of this world those who will come unto Him and faithfully be His for now and all eternity. He is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Obedience to the Lord is part of the highest form of worship.

• Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”

 
The Lord wants us to seek His kingdom and righteousness first. And then what we need will be taken care of. Let us not get that backwards!

• Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.”

 
The Lord wants peace for us, not worry. He is so right on each day having enough trouble of its own. Why lose our peace today over tomorrow? And the past, who can go forward by continually looking in the rearview mirror?

• Psalms 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.

 
The benefits of being a true child of God and staying in communion with Him, are priceless. We need to consider the Lord in all our ways and decisions, pray through and entrust it all to Him. And no matter what follows, we know in whom with put our trust and that He is faithful to see us through.

• Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 
There is a worldly saying that says, if you know, you know. And when it comes to living a life unto and in Jesus Christ, if you know, you know. We can give it all to Him and trust in Him. And the peace that follows cannot be stolen. We can give it away, but it cannot be stolen. If we know Him and trust in Him, then we know Him and trust in Him.

• Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all.

 
The Lord never said following Him would be easy. But when we are His, we know that He will always deliver us out of our troubles.

• Proverbs 37:23-24 The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.

 
Even this verse says that there are times when we fall. But we can rest assured that we can count on the Lord holding our hand and not be overwhelmed.
 
God uses all that happens for the greater good. Just like Joseph, who was sold as a slave into Egypt by his jealous brothers but still rose to #2 leader in that country and by God’s direction, saved many lives during 7 years of drought and famine. Like Job who went through the worst trials, losing everything but his breath and wife, who in the end has gone down in history as one of the greatest believers ever and was restored double in his blessings. Our Lord is the great Redeemer, our Redeemer, and whatever happens to us, we can know that even if the devil himself means something for harm toward us, it could never happen without God knowing about it and Him stopping it, or if allowed, the Lord will turn it for good.

• Romans 8:28 And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

 
In conclusion, we are not our own. We were not put on this earth for our mere pleasure or just to work hard and die. We were each created uniquely by the Lord for His purpose. He created you and I for Himself because He wanted each of us to exist and choose Him and live in communion with Him now and for all eternity. We need to consider the Lord when we make plans and then realize that even if things do not go as planned, it will be alright. We will just pray through, making Holy Spirit-led adjustments. If something is His will, we can stand in His will, knowing that He will perform it. As believers, we are no longer of this world, and we recognize that the Lord has greater plans. The journey of life is full of plans that will never go just as we would wish and there are plenty of bumps in the road that we would prefer not to encounter, but we will trust in the Lord, who has the higher plans. We know that He is continually turning things for good, no matter how it appears and we will trust in Him and praise Him for He is the great Redeemer, our Savior and He is worthy today and forever.

• Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."