The One With the Plan

"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

A question that I found myself answering quite a bit in the last few months was "what are your plans for after graduation?" At this stage in life, that inquiry is just as common as asking a young child "what do you want to be when you grow up?" I am pleased that I had an answer to give in regards to my plans, since I had already landed a wonderful job, but what I've come to realize is that there is a distinct difference between my plan and God's plan. In fact, it's only been in the recent past that I have discovered that true fulfillment comes when I allow my plan to be shaped by God's.

This verse goes far deeper than merely letting us know that God has a plan. It assures us that within the plan there is hope. It is that hope that enables us to look forward to the days to come and know that our lives are not stagnant. Hope also brings with it the promise of better things, and releases us from fear of our own plans not working out. Although it does not relieve all uncertainty about the things to come, it does do quite a bit to decrease the amount of pressure we may put on ourselves to try to make things come together successfully.

God is in charge of not only providing us with a future, but carrying out the ways and means to get us to that future. When we are in tune with Him, our individual plans become the vehicle that can bring us to our destination in God's plan. God's will is not always easy to know, but it is important to remember that His will is a journey. I like knowing that God doesn't make all my decisions for me, but rather teaches me how to think so that I can make my own decisions.

Looking back I can see many examples of how God has shaped and reformulated my plans until they more closely matched His plan. There are times when I went off on my own path and disregarded what He was trying to show me. In the end, I always came back to Him and his plan.

God knows the plans He has for us. I praise Him for that, and I praise Him for unique paths that have brought me to the place I am now. By putting my life wholly in His hands, I make myself available for Him to show me more of His plan--one step at a time.