For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen.’ Jeremiah 29:11-12 NLT.
God made this promise to the children of Israel when they were exiled to Babylon and wondered when they would ever return home. Receiving this word from Jeremiah must have brought a deep sense of relief and assurance. When you are given a promise and a plan to back it, it does change how you view the whole situation.
It’s been told that marriages thrive when the couples have opposite personalities. Since I’ve only been in one, I can’t confirm nor deny this about other marriages, but I know for sure that, in my marriage, we work from the extreme ends of the spectrum. My dearest husband is super different from me, which often drives me nuts. I ask myself constantly, “Why is Eben like this”? Even though he will not admit to this, I’m sure he also asks himself, “Why is Cathy like this at all”? How that has worked all these years, I have no idea. I thrive on a good plan; before tomorrow happens, I want to know how it will play out. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy the occasional spontaneity. However, I am in my element when I plan for whatever endeavour is ahead of us. My dear husband, on the other hand, as you have guessed correctly, thrives best with no planning. He enjoys dealing with stuff as they come along. As we used to say ages ago, he goes with the flow. I don’t know how he does it, but it seems to work for him most times. Well, I did say most times!
The purpose of planning is so that life can be organised and predictable. Planning gives me a sense of control over my day as I stay on top of whatever I’m dealing with. When we live with no plan, we allow life to happen to us instead of us making life happen. However, I have come to realise over the years that even though being a planner takes the edge off and keeps my life a bit organised, most times, my plans do not go as expected. You see, life has a cunning way of bringing detours into my well-organised plan for the day, and before long, I’m spiralling in a direction that has no bearing on my original plan. Having my day disrupted with no pre-warning can be frustrating, but that’s what seems to happen in life. I am then left with the profound question, “How did I get here”?
The children of Israel had their fair share of the school of disruption. After 430 years in captivity in Egypt (Exodus 12:40-42 ESV), I imagine everyone was full of excitement and anticipation for the next thing God had promised through Moses. Once they parted ways with the Egyptians, it should have been a straightforward route to the promised land, but unbeknown to them, The Man with the promise also had a plan. So, let’s just say 11 straight days turned into 40 convoluting years in the wild, with only a handful of these people making it into the promised land. I’m sure if they were fortunate to redo it, there would be a lot of seminars before they would step out of Egypt. Like myself, I’m confident they will analyse the escape plan to ensure Moses had duly risk assessed the journey before signing up. Sadly, they don’t get to redo this and unfortunately, neither do we. Like the Israelites, we wake up with a plan only to be sent on a tangent we wouldn’t have chosen if given a choice. The famous TD Jakes question, “what do you do when life has you on a path you didn’t plan for?’
He knows the plan
The Man with the promise knows His plan for our lives. Even though the ideal way would be for God to divulge the details of our lives, we don’t get to see this; instead, we end up in the middle of a life maze. I get frustrated with mazes; come on, show me the right way out already! It’s nicer to play maze games when you have the image laid out before you; for competitive people like myself, it is easier working backwards, but not so with life. If only we could work out the beginning from the end, everything would be super simple. I’m not sure about the work-around when you are in the middle of a maze, but you eventually figure out the exit after several failed attempts. Unlike our life mazes, we only get the correct exit by relying on the author and finisher of our faith.
Job walked this path when he lost everything that held meaning to him on a typical sunny day in Uz, Job 1:1-3 ESV. At the end of his ordeal, he saw something that he wanted to pass on to us. He concludes that God’s ever-presence is always with us in the shaking and the silence, and we can trust in Him regardless of the circumstances. For my family, COVID visited us and disrupted our lives right in the middle of our group’s 7-day prayer and fasting schedule. It was horrendous seeing the whole family ill and weakened by this virus. It was a real blessing to seek after God, day after day, to see us through. We came out of our isolation knowing God had been with us through it all, the pains, aches, and tiredness. God was right there in our home, showing up in ways unimaginable and leaving breadcrumbs everywhere. I don’t know what your storm may be. You might be living and working through devastating issues, the sudden loss of a loved one, or health or financial issues. Whatever your situation, God is with you, and he is ready to see you through. What may seem like a disruption to you may be God’s intervention. You may need to step outside of your storm to fully embrace what God is doing.
Currently, the world is at a standstill with war rumours that have shaken the core of everything we know about a peaceful world, and we feel helpless as these events unfold. This chaos was unexpected on every level for many people, yet still not to God. If God allowed this destruction to happen, what should your view be? Maybe your role in this massacre is to infuse everyone caught up in this with the undeniable hope of God. Strengthen the faith of your loved ones. Magnify and exalt God bigger than the chaos. Do not feed into the fear you see and hear all around you. Instead of the fear you feel, sow into faith because it’s only in God that you are truly secure. Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety. Proverbs 29:25 NLT
The plan is always good
The plan doesn’t always look and feel good, but it is always good. We are confident of this because our Father is a good God, and whatever he does, has a good end. So, our assurance is that the unexpected situation has an expected end because God will cause everything, the good and the bad, to work out for our good, Romans 8:28 NLT. It is mind-boggling, right? What is the good in death, poverty, failure and all the horrendous atrocity around us? Where is the good in any of this? Whilst the situation itself may not be good, and most times, outrightly bad, God can bring glory out of it. When Jesus was crucified, the devil thought he had won over until resurrection day happened, and he realised, “Uh-oh! It was all a part of God’s big plan!”
God will only allow you to go through situations you can manage. You have been equipped by heaven to handle your situation because God’s power will be manifested through it. Paul caught this truth when he said he is strongest in His weakness. …But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong… 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV. Can you begin to look out for the good in your circumstances? Instead of agreeing with life that nothing good is in your horrible experience, can you allow yourself to see a Father who is busy at work, weaving everything to work out for your good? What may seem intimidating now is God trying to work his goodwill through you for his glory. This will demand trust from you.
The trust fall
Can you trust that God is actually at work, even when you can’t see it? Many of us condemn Thomas; we have fondly nicknamed him, ‘doubting Thomas’. Will you honestly admit that you would have undoubtedly, behaved as he did? Like Gideon, sometimes we need the signs before throwing our lot into this faith thing. However, God demands that we trust him in all situations because our efforts cannot get us where we need to be.
So many times, we are motivated to keep going if we can only see some light in the darkness, but you will agree that, in reality, that may not always happen. Most times, God wants us to keep moving in the darkness and trust that He is in it with us. I call it trust fall; God calls us to walk by faith, not by sight, 2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT. Joshua gives us the perfect example of someone who stepped into more oversized shoes but trusted God and came out victorious in all battles. Beyond the trust is a requirement to move on.
Stir up the waters
Often, we are tempted to wait out the dark season, but God is calling us to start stirring up the waters. Whatever was knocked down, get back into it. Your creativity is burning up inside you, don’t keep it silent because of a disruption; keep pursuing!
Ebenezer and I were recently blessed with some time alone at the beach, thanks to one of our friends who babysat. We were mesmerised by how strong the tides were and the waves roaring so loud early in the morning. It was a sight to behold, being in awe of this creation of God. The Bible says God is causing the waters to move in this manner.
Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for a light by day and the fixed order of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, Who stirs up the sea’s roaring billows or stills the waves when they roar—the Lord of hosts is His name, Jeremiah 31:35 AMPC.
As I watched these strong waves, I realised, again and again, that is how God wants our lives to be. There is no fun in making a trip to the beach to see still waters. I have seen kids come alive at the beach by running with the waves as it comes close to them.
God does not want our waters to be still. As the waters are stirred, it releases debris and unwanted stuff, and sometimes we get some goodies from the sea. Similarly, when we allow God to stir up our waters, He removes all unwanted things from us and releases virtues in us that will help people. Life can dump a lot of baggage on us, and it’s essential to allow God to stir us up. God wants to wash us, prune us, purify us, clean us and transform us to become more like the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said that the tree that bears fruit would be pruned to bear more fruit, John 15:2 ESV. Whatever your situation is, God wants you to bear fruit, but it will require you to surrender your will and plans to him to shake it up with his spice.
Finally
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps, Proverbs 16:8 NLT. We are all a part of something bigger than us, and most times, we will never understand the Why behind our crisis, but we can trust in Who is with us in the middle of the situation. He promises never to leave nor forsake us. So the next time you plan your schedule, remember to make room for God to add his touch of glory. Embrace the disruptions; God is shaping you into the image of Jesus. But he knows every detail of what is happening to me; and when he has examined me, he will pronounce me completely innocent—as pure as solid gold!… Job 23:10 TLB.
Prayer
Thank you, Father, that you hold my life in your hands, and your plans for me are always good. Teach me to submit to your will as you mould and direct me on the path you have set for me. Please help me to embrace all the disruptions that come in my way and rest in you, knowing that your plans and purposes for me are good. Amen
May you be filled with the Fullness of God and the Power of His Love!
