"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that'" James 4:13-15.
When our children were little they would tell me the plans that they had for their lives. Most of the time I was thoroughly entertained by their future plans because I knew it was just the imagination of a child. They truly did believe that 'this or that' was the path of their little lives. I played along and entertained their plans up to a point, but when their actions would take them away from the reality we had for their lives I would have to realign their thinking. After all life is hardly a fairy tale.
James asks us to consider the same thing when thinking about our own lives. God our Father has provided the backdrop for each of our lives and He orchestrates all of our movement. ('For in Him we live and move and exist' Acts 17:28.) He hears the dreams of our hearts and makes plans for our lives that will align our dreams with His dreams. We can plan this or we can prepare for that but we must make room in our plans for surrenders and acceptances. We must look to our Father with the same child like trust our own children did when we realigned their thinking. We must embrace the fact that what God has planned for our lives is rooted in love, protection and a kingdom focus. We must trust Him with more than our eternity in heaven...we must trust Him with our circumstances on earth. If we have a child who is wayward we must surrender that child to the only Parent who can bring her around...God is Father. If we are waiting on God to answer a dream we must adhere to God's timeline...God is Wisdom. If we are pursuing something that is not materializing we must humbly accept His answer and trust Him...God is Protector.
As much as I love the beauty and flow of Jeremiah 29:11, I want it to be more in my life than something I post on someone's Facebook wall. I want it to be something more than a verse I memorize. I want Jeremiah 29:11 to flow through every vein in my body and saturate every thought that comes into my mind. I want to really believe it...believe Him for it. Help me Lord to not be so familiar with this passage that I forget it is very breath of the Divine. Help me make it so personal to my own life that it will have new breath.
For you know what you planned for my individual life, Lord. Your plans are precious, perfect and are for my protection. You knew that some of your plans might be painful so you provided an assurance that you are not trying to hurt us. You allow them to bring me spiritual growth in You and precious riches for my life. My future and eternity are both settled, and only You know how to navigate me to that perfect life. I will hope in this knowledge. Amen.
"'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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1 comment:
Thank you Brenda. It is so true that we use and quote verses that we like without ever actually making them a part of who we are. How often have I claimed this verse selfishly without realizing that God has this same amazing plan for those by whom I have been hurt. Again, thank you for allowing God to use you to bring new insights to my life.
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