God's Plans For Us

April 2024

We all make plans in life — plans for days and nights, plans for work and play, plans for vacations and weekend getaways, plans for hobbies and sports. There are plans for everything, but even the best laid plans can, at times, need to be scraped or changed. They seldom turn out the way we intended. The trouble is mortal plans, made by finite minds, can at best yield mixed results.

On the other hand, God’s plans are perfect because He is perfect. God never has to change His plans. He always knows what is best for us and fulfills His plans. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) says, “‘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.’” Three times in this blessed verse the word “plans” is mentioned. Each word in each sentence is powerful and exudes confidence.

God is good all the time and so are His plans. He knows more than we do, is never caught off guard, and the end results are always the best. Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” When we take the Lord’s hand and hold on tight, we will see God’s plans worked out to perfection in plain sight.

The great missionary Hudson Taylor had definite convictions about how God’s work should be done. We can make our best plans and try to carry them out in our own strength, or we can make careful plans and ask God to bless them. He said, “Yet another way of working is to begin with God; ask Him His plans, and to offer ourselves to Him to carry out His purposes.” Now that’s a plan!

For us as believers, the Holy Spirit leads us and guides us as our hearts are yielded prayerfully to Him. He uses His Word, godly counsel, and circumstances to show us what to do. Man tries to over-think it, over analyze it, and second guess it. The Lord’s plans and His ways don’t often make sense to our human way of thinking, but His plans are awesome.

The hymn writer said it well, “O the love that drew salvation’s plan! O the grace that brought it down to man! O the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary.” God draws up the game plan and all we have to do is follow it through to the end. God has big plans for us and small ones too, but whether big or small, they are just the right fit for our lives.