Plans As Different As You Are

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

We were sitting around in a circle sharing stories. This is a group that gets together every other week to talk about our journeys with God; sharing and encouraging each other. As each person took a turn to share their story, one woman shared an amazing answer to prayer. She had been struggling with a situation for a while and God finally answered. He finally showed up in a very powerful way.

I was really happy for her. She is my friend. But, there was a part of me that wondered why not me? Now, believe me, I know this is completely selfish. And I know that this is not an appropriate thought to have when your friend was blessed by an answer to prayer. I know I should stay quiet about the fact that I thought this....but, I think more of us think this kind of thing than we’d like to admit. So, shaking my head, I am admitting it.

That night as I laid in bed, I talked to God about it. First, I asked him to forgive me for thinking so selfishly but then I honestly asked him “Why? Why has it taken so long for you to answer my prayers?” Then, I felt inspired to tell him what prayers I would have him answer if I could choose anything at all. And to my surprise, as I lay there and thought about it, I didn’t ask for the things I thought I would. The things I had been focusing on that I thought I wanted answers to, those were not top of my list. I was whining about him not answering this one prayer but when asked to prioritize, that did not fall in the top five.

I went to sleep.

The next day as I talked some more with God about all this, I remembered. I remembered some amazing answered prayers that I’ve had in my recent past. There was an answer to prayer for a reconciliation that I was praying about for 15 years. There was the prayer that asked God to send someone so I could share Jesus. There was the reunion with my biological brothers. There are so many more and each one has been amazing. 

Then I remembered what God says in his Word. “For I know the plans I have for you.....” Your plans are not everyone else’s plans and their plans are not for you. My plans for you are uniquely individual and the answers to prayer are the same.

All I could do was bow my head and rejoice in a God who loves me so individually and in a way that is uniquely me. He knew what my heart wanted even when I didn’t.

Just For One

Two shepherds were getting ready to bed down for the night. As per their usual routine, they started counting the sheep.

Shepherd 1 (S1): 97, 98, 99….uh oh
Shepherd 2 (S2): What?
S1: One’s missing
S2: Are you kidding? I bet it’s that same sheep that is always exploring new fields. I’ll go look for it.
S1: Why?:That sheep causes trouble. Just let it go.
S2: No. I bet it wandered off not realizing it was getting too far from me. It is somewhere out there alone in the darkness. I am sure it is not even aware of the dangers all around. And besides, I love the little fella!
S1: How are you going to find it?
S2: I’m going to go out to the last place I saw it and call it. Maybe, when it hears my voice it will move closer to me so I can save it. And when I find it, I’m going to hug it and kiss it and carry it home.
Extrapolation from Luke 15:3-7

You know, Jesus did this. He didn’t hang on the cross for the masses. He hung on the cross for just one. That one was you. That one is me. He hung there in hopes that when we wandered off to the dark places and we are lost, we will remember. We will remember his voice, we will remember how much we are loved and we will move closer to him. To Jesus, each one is important. Each one is dearly loved.

Made Perfectly Wonderful

““I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Have you ever stopped and thought about today’s text? I’ve heard it before and when my grandson was born, I thought about it a little.  I liked the fact that before he was born God knew who he was. I liked the fact that God knew what his name would be even before his parents did. And it says that God knew him before he was even formed. That’s way before he was born and even before his parents knew he was coming!

Which means, God knew us before we were formed as well. He knew who we would be. He knew our quirks. He knew that some of us would be creative, and that others would be good with numbers. He knew that some of us would be more logistical. And he knew the number of hairs on our head.

When you stop and think about how God intimately knew you before you were even born, how does it make you feel? Do you feel that he thought “Well, I could have done better.” No way! He loves us and designed us to be just who we are. Each of us has a gift to bring to this world. God has a special place for us and a special role that only we can fill. And it also means that we can do what he has given us to do.

So let me ask you?  What’s keeping you from fulfilling God’s plan for your life? What is it that stops you from giving it your all and living the life God planned for you? God doesn’t make mistakes and he didn’t make one when he created you.  

And oh by the way, even if you have made mistakes along the way, his plan is still perfect. You can always get back on track.

A Minute In It - You Are Important

A minute in God's word will change your life. Sometimes, we need to remember that we are special. Take a minute to read the passages below and remember.....to God you are very special. You are one of a kind, unique; he created you and he knows you. You are important.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.
Psalm 139:13-16

Long ago the Lord said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
    With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. Jeremiah 31:3

For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With his love, he will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”  Zephaniah 3:17

And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Luke 12:7

Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. Genesis 2:7

Others were given in exchange for you.
    I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
    You are honored, and I love you. Isaiah 43:4

See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
    Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.  Isaiah 49:16

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Ephesians 1:11-12 (MSG)