Overwhelmed with schedules, plans and logistics of the day? Maybe with the upcoming week, holidays, or another year ahead? Or it’s possible that you’re not a planner at all, but one of those C’est la Vie, Que Sera Sera type of people.
I’m one that tends to get tied up in the plans, lists, schedules, and timetables; and I’m a clock-watcher (even though I’m habitually late for everything). I feel a certain sense of security in knowing what comes next even though I fully expect surprises and interruptions to my best laid plans. If you don’t know what happens to the best laid plans, here’s the spoiler: they often go astray.[a]
Speaking of plans,
In Jeremiah 29:11, God tells the exiled Jews who were wanting things fixed right now, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
This verse has been taken out of context[b] countless times to serve the purpose of the moment. Or just maybe, the verse can stand on its own in order to speak to all of God’s children at any time and in any situation, and it is a proclamation of who He is and how He cares for us.
What I do know is that when the plans for the future, no matter how immediate or distant, begin to overwhelm me I know that God is either in those plans or he’s not and that’s completely up to me. I can trust that God has a plan for every part of my life and that includes the daily, weekly, and monthly schedules. It includes next months’ vacation plans or the five and ten-year-plans my husband is so fond of.
The key is to include God in the decision-making process through prayer and trust. Remember to pray for His guidance so that our plans fit into His plans and not to expect it to be the other way around. If we don’t think God is interested in the details, try looking at any part of His creation. He’s a details kind of God.
He’s also a God of grace and mercy so don’t worry if you made plans without him – He might change them and he might even bless them anyway! One thing I’m certain of is that He will always show up if you ask.
God doesn’t have a plan B. He has a plan and it doesn’t change – It’s always for your good and ultimately for His glory. Within that promise is where we can make all the plans and have confidence that they are included in His.
[a] Poem by Robert Burns; To A Mouse
[b] Out of Context: to use only part of something that someone said, so that the original meaning is changed. Macmillan Dictionary
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