Plans (part 2)

Difficulty praying for myself; we talked about how difficult that is for me and I came up with 2 reasons why:

#1  I don't feel worthy of anything

#2  the day is going to come (again) when His plan is different from mine

God has a plan for each of us.   We are told that this plan is to prosper us and not to harm us.  It is a plan to give us hope and a future.  We are also told that God's ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts.  We are told that He has numbered our days before we were even in our mother's womb.  He knows the plans He has for us.  However, He also gave us free will.  So His plans don't always take the path from point A to point B that He designed because we choose to chase after the things that distract us.  This not only blows us off course, but can also blow others off course in the process (the ripple or domino effect).  In that same format, the choices of others can blow us off course as well.  God, with His infinite grace and mercy, can make good come from those detours, but life would be so much simpler if we just followed His plan.  

I often say I wish He'd give me a set of directions so I could follow the path; neon signs showing which way.  But there are 3 problems with this thought:

1) I can't handle all the info.  Let's be real.  If we could see the whole path and the things we might face along the way, we'd try to change it.  It is not always a smooth, easy or fun path.  We, as humans, would not willingly put ourselves through some of the trials required to mold and shape us.  Even seeing the end result, we often might choose to try and find a shortcut to the end if we knew the terrain along the way.  We're not ready for all of that knowledge.

2) I am human.  I am easily distracted.  You know that joke that's interrupted by yelling "squirrel"?  That's me on a daily basis.  I have the bad habit of chasing things.  Sometimes it's in an effort to help someone else, sometimes it's just my self absorbed human nature, but either way, I get off the path.  Sometimes it takes quite a while to get back on.

3) This is the most important reason.  If God gave us a set of directions for the whole path, we might (or more likely- would, probably) stop turning to Him.  When we have a set of directions in our hand, we tend to think we have everything we need and we become so obsessed with completing the job at hand that we forget or lose the focus of communicating with others.  God knows our frailty.  He knows how focused and determined we can be.  But He loves us so abundantly and wants a relationship with us, so He keeps us coming back for more info.  

Those failures I mentioned, many are because my plans don't match God's.  Or because others visions of the path or plan for us don't match God's.  When this happens, we judge.  We condemn. We discourage rather than encourage.  We cause a feeling of failure.  We think we are sharing wisdom, but wisdom doesn't come from us.  Wisdom comes from God.  God's thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways, but God has a 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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV)

We need to trust in God's plan.  We need to ask for His wisdom and guidance.  We need to call on Him and come and pray to Him.  He will listen to us.  If we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him.  And He will bring us back from captivity.  If our prayers and plans do not align with His, then He will bring us back.  But we must trust Him.  We must talk with Him.  We must share our thoughts so He can share His thoughts.  That means asking, even when we feel like we're not worthy.  Even if our faith is as small as a mustard seed, He can move mountains with us.  And He will help us in our moments of unbelief.  We must persevere.  For me that perseverance comes in getting up and trying again, no matter how the world makes me feel.  Because God has a plan.  And in His overwhelming and abundant love for me, His plan is to prosper me; to give me a continued hope and a future.  Now I need to just to get my plan out of the way and live for His plan...whatever it may be!