Plans


Plans are interesting things, aren't they? I mean - we all have them.

We plan our days.  We plan our years.  We plan our lives...

But what happens when God's plans are different than the plans we have for ourselves?

The Bible says, "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." - Proverbs 16:9

This thought is one that has kept me awake since 3am this morning, and it is one I want to explore with you today.

Noah was an upright man living with his family in a community of people.  No doubt he planned to stay there for his entire life.

Moses planned to stay out of Egypt and live as a sheep farmer, far away from the possible consequences of the murder he'd committed as a young man. 

As a beloved queen, Esther was going to live in a palace surrounded by attendants.

And the religious zealot Saul planned to hunt down every Christian he could find and make sure they were either imprisoned or put to death...

But in each case - God's plans involved something else. 

In the case of Noah He said, I want you to build this enormous boat because I am going to flood the entire world and everything on it will perish.  If I were Noah - I think that ASK would have seemed more than a little strange.

And when God asked Moses to confront Pharaoh and demand that he free the Israelites from captivity and slavery, no doubt Moses was hesitant.  Returning to Egypt must have seemed like the LAST thing he wanted to do. 

When Esther's uncle told her that SHE must be the one to confront King Xerses about his plans to kill all of the Jews - she must have wondered, "why me?"...

And finally, when the risen Jesus (the very same guy Saul was campaigning against) appeared to him and told him to stop persecuting Christians - it must have come as quite a shock.

So how do we know when God is asking us to do something?

Well, maybe like Noah God will speak directly to you.  Or, as in the case of Moses - you'll have a supernatural experience.  Perhaps, like Esther - God will speak through someone close to you.  Or if you're like Paul, maybe you'll have an encounter with Jesus.

But maybe, as in the case of today's post - you'll get this thought that just keeps tapping at you.  One that keeps running through your brain, that keeps saying, "THIS - THIS is what I want from you right now..."

In any case, no matter how you "hear" from Him, know that when God asks you to do something - it is NOT because He can't do it without you.  In each of the cases listed above, if the person in question had said, "no", God certainly could have found someone else.  Rather, when God asks you to do something, it is because He wants you to be part of something BIGGER than what you had planned for yourself.  So, in these moments, you must not hesitate or say, "no" - for if you do, you will have missed an opportunity for your life to align with His purpose.

"'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.'" - Jeremiah 29:11

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