The Plans I Have For You

Jeremiah 29:11 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.

 My son Andy sent a letter to me late this past week. It was an interesting, and somewhat introspective letter. I have been giving my reply to the letter much thought and prayer. I stumbled upon one of those little sign posts that God sets out to give directions. It was a license plate on a car, in front of me at a stop light, with the following JER2911. Funny how these things show up at just the right time.

"I have plans for you" are comforting words when we think about all the turmoil and tragedy in our world. Every time we read a newspaper, or open a news website we are confronted with just how bad things are in some parts of the world. Similarly we can see how good things are in other parts of the world. Granted, southeast Idaho is not a hot bed for crime or pestilence. But on occasion it seems as if the outside world comes crashing through our gates. The point I am trying to make is that regardless of what your situation in life is at this moment in time, God has a plan. It is a plan for welfare and not for evil. It is a plan to give you a future and to give you hope. Hope can be so very important at many times in our lives. It is there as a constant, we just seem to forget that it is out there at times. God really has a plan, but my question to you is, what are doing to fulfill that plan?  Speaking from my own experiences, I have done my level best to thwart the best laid plans of my Father in Heaven. And through it all, He has been right there. I suspect He has been there watching, laughing, and at times crying. Yet there have been times when His plan has been sharply defined and I cannot help but fall into line with His wishes. It is at these times that I experience a profound feeling of unity with the Lord. It is a sensation that I guess would be like holding a tuning fork in your hand and it resonates through out your whole body at just the right frequency. It is a feeling like none other I have found in any other experience in my life. These times happen when I am most attuned to the Lord through prayer and study. They happen when things are going well in my life, and when things are going quite badly. The common element is that I am listening to what God has to say in His Word and by prayer. It is an imperative to stay in tune otherwise you and I are likely to miss something of importance. As Jeremiah 29:11 says, God knows the plans He has for you. We should do all we can to grasp what His will is for our lives.

PRAYER:  Lord God, Your love for all mankind is beyond description and boundaries. Your love flows like a mighty river. Help us dear Lord to see Your will for us in our lives. Guide our hearts and thoughts to align with Yours O God. Let your plans be fulfilled in all that we do to Your glory now and forever. We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit reign as One God now and forever. Amen