There’s always this distance between the vision that God has given us, and our reality. A space where we know what He’s called us to, but we have to face where we are now. And I think that in this season, our biggest questions have to do with how we can fill in the gap, and get to that place of promise. But I’ve realized that this gap, that God has given us, is intentional. This is the space that He has left for himself, so that He can do the filling, so that He can bring his plan to pass.
God gives us the vision, not the plan.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)
When God gives us a vision, we expect that He will also give us His plan. But in this scripture, He doesn’t say that we know the plans that He has for us. He says that He knows the plans that He has for us. And I think that this is why we get frustrated. We want to know how and when His promises will manifest in our lives. But He will not divulge this information upfront. Why?
For we walk by faith, not by sight. (II Corinthians 5:7 NKJV)
There would be no need to have faith if we knew the plan, right? Because faith is only needed when we can’t see where we are going, and what lies ahead… when we are given the vision without the plan. I once heard a pastor say that, “It’s not faith if you could figure it out.” The truth is that if we can see the way, and we know the plan, we can be sure that we are not walking in faith. Because God leaves us in the dark on purpose. This is the reality of what it means to be led by Him.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Psalms 23:1-4 NKJV)
In this Psalm, we see the fruit of David’s walk with God. We see that he learned to completely depend on God, to trust Him through every circumstance. David understood who the Shepherd was. David understood the power, strength, and sovereignty of his God. And he learned to follow him. You see, David experienced the same gap that we face. He had a call on his life, in fact, he was anointed to be Israel’s next king at 15 years old, but he would have to wait at least another 15 years to see the manifestation of the word that God had spoken over him. And during that time, David faced more danger than we can imagine. He had to flee and hide, for fear that King Saul would find him. But God preserved him, He kept David safe in every circumstance. God was watching over His word, ensuring that it would be done.
Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” (Jeremiah 1:12 ESV)
God preserves us for His promise.
In Psalm 23, David speaks of being fearless, because he knows that God is with Him. These aren’t just nice words that he wrote to sound good. David had plenty of chances to fear for his life, but he had experienced the salvation of the Lord over and over again. And because of this, David came to understand that God was in control. He knew that the word of the Lord would be accomplished regardless of those that sought to take his life. And he gained a confidence in this…knowing that he was safe because God would be faithful to make good on His promise.
David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him. (1 Samuel 23:14 NLT)
“Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” (1 Samuel 23:17 NLT)
David was sold out to God’s plan for his life. He didn’t trust in his own strength. He didn’t seek to devise a plan to bring the promise of God to fruition. In fact, he refused any opportunity that he had to do so. On two occasions, David was given prime opportunity to take Saul’s life, so that his time would come, but he refused. Although David might have had the desire to see the promise of God, he submitted his desire to the authority of God. He reasoned that regardless of the threats against his life, He would not take matters into his own hands.
He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my Lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.” So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul… (1 Samuel 24:6-7 NLT)
Then he shouted to Saul, “Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you? This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn’t true. For the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm the king—he is the Lord’s anointed one.’ (1 Samuel 24:9-10 NLT)
May the Lord therefore judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!” (1 Samuel 24:15 NLT)
We don’t have to fight for ourselves. We have a God that is our advocate. He rescues us, and ensures that we make it to our destination safely.
Why is this so important for us to understand? Well, if we don’t understand that God fights for us, we will begin to fight for ourselves. We will begin to take matters into our own hands, and make a way for us to reach the plan that God has for us. But the will of God can not be accomplish in this way. We aren’t wise enough. We can’t think like Him; we can’t maneuver ourselves into His plan. So, any effort that we make to do it ourselves, is actually working against God. It is actually working against our destiny; it is taking us further away from His will for our lives.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT)
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. (Proverbs 16:9 NLT)
It’s natural to make a plan for our lives, some would even say that it is wise. But, we must remember that we are only sheep in the Lord’s pasture. We have to remember that ultimately, He directs our steps, and He is the one that says when to stay and when to go. So, while we might have a plan, we must submit our plan to our God. He is the Good Shepherd, and He knows exactly what we need. He knows when we need rest, because He knows what is coming around the corner. This is why David wrote in Psalm 23 that the Lord makes him lay down in green pastures, that He leads him besides still waters, that He restores his soul. David knew that God would lead him to the things that he needed.
Sometimes our seasons of frustration are actually meant to be seasons of rest.
I’ve known Psalm 23 for most of my life, but a few years ago, the words began to mean so much more to me. As I studied it, I began to get a revelation that the seasons where my life slowed down, were gifts from God. I realized that while I was frustrated and striving to move on to the next destination, God’s plan was for me to receive the nourishment that I would need for the journey that He was about to take me on. Because He knew the plan. He knew that I needed to rest and find strength in Him, so that I could do the things that He planned for me to do. And as I look back, I can see that my striving and restlessness in those seasons was unnecessary, and even futile. Because the fact is that I can not force the will of God into my life. He does things in His own timing, with His providence, with His higher purpose in mind.
We have no idea of the things that He has planned for us. We have no idea of the things that He wants to do through us along the way.
I am all about plans. I am a girl that loves to have everything just right. I love to calculate my next move. But I have been hearing God say, “Can I have your plans?” I have been hearing Him tell me that my plans can not get in the way of His sovereign plan. He’s told me that if I am too focused on my way, and the goals that I have made for myself, I will miss what He wants to do in and through my life.
Our plans can thwart God’s will for our lives.
We have to understand the authority that God has given us in this earth. There is nothing that the enemy can do to thwart the plan that God has for us. The bible tells us that although a weapon may be formed against us, it will not prosper.
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17 NKJV)
And this should give us confidence…knowing that we are empowered to do the things that God has blessed us to do. But we must also understand the role that we play in bringing the promises of God into our lives. Because God orders our steps, but we must follow Him. We must be willing to submit our desires beneath His authority. Because we only have authority in His name. We are only favored because we have His hand on our lives. But His hand of favor comes with the requirement of obedience. His blessing comes with our willingness to go when He says to go, and to stay when He says to stay. And this is why scripture says that it’s okay to make a plan, but we must be willing to allow the Lord to direct our steps.
Our God can seem quite spontaneous…because He never gives us the full plan upfront, but we have to understand that every step that He orders was ordained before the beginning of time. He is not in heaven thinking about what He wants to do in our lives. He already knows His plan. He already knows His will…our destiny, and who created us to be. He is the Alpha and the Omega, this means the beginning and the end, so He knows exactly what will take place in the middle. He knows every detail of our lives…He’s planned it all. And He is watching closely over His word to bring it to pass.
The Lord prophesied over us before we were born.
“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)
Most likely you’ve heard this scripture before, but this week…as we head towards Christmas…I believe that we can gain a whole knew meaning from it. As we think about the birth of our Savior, we can’t brush past the fact that God interrupted a plan. We can’t brush past the fact that He was born to a virgin. Was this Mary’s plan for her life? Absolutely not. Was this Joseph’s plan for his life? Absolutely not. But they allowed God to interrupt their plans. They allowed Him to direct their paths, so that His will could be done in the earth…so that humanity could be saved. But it was more than that. Why did God have to interrupt their plans? Why did the birth of Jesus have to come about in this way?...Because God was watching over His word to perform it. You see…to Mary and Joseph, this seemed like an interruption, but to God, this was the way that it was always supposed to be.
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14 NKJV)
But there’s more, this was only the first time that God interrupted their plans. While Mary was pregnant, they received word that a census was taking place, and they had to travel to Bethlehem, Joseph’s home town, as a result.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:4-7 NKJV)
Imagine Mary, ready to give birth…probably afraid, but she is right where she is supposed to be.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” (Micah 5:2 NKJV)
After the birth of Jesus, once Joseph and Mary were ready to return home, an angel appeared to tell them that Jesus’ life was in danger. The angel told them to flee to Egypt.
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”(Matthew 2:13-15 NKJV)
All of these interruptions…surrounding the perfect Savior. Why did God allow them to be sent to Bethlehem in such a pivotal time? Why did He allow His Son’s life to be threatened when He was only an infant? Simply so that His will could be done….so that His word would come to pass.
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. (Hosea 11:1 NKJV)
As I sit, and think of everything Mary and Joseph went through in obedience…I am reminded of a scripture from the book of Genesis.
You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. (Genesis 50:20 NLT)
These are the words that Joseph, son of Jacob, spoke to his brothers after he understood the reason for all the interruptions in his life. Joseph understood that everything had to happen, so that the will of God could be done in the earth, so that he could save the lives of many people. This was the prophesy spoken over Joseph’s life from the beginning, and God ensured that it came to pass.
God’s interruptions always have a purpose.
There is a reason behind everything that He does. There is a method behind every step that He asks us to take. The life that we live is not only about us, we are His. We are His light, His vessels, His hands in the earth. So, when He comes and asks to have our plans…we have to understand that there is always so much more to His plan. He has the lives of others in mind. He has the generations after us in mind.
He has spoken His will over your life. He has spoken purpose, and greatness over you…even before you were in your mother’s womb. He has so many plans for you, and He has so many plans to use your life to shine His light in this dark world. But you can’t get there through your own strength. You can’t get there with your own wisdom, or with your own plan.
And so, I believe that He is saying to you today… “Can I have your plan? Can I direct your steps? Can I take what you have and multiply it? Can I use you to do my work in the earth?” All it takes is your obedience to walk in His will. You don’t have to figure it out…remember…He already has. You just have to follow Him. You just have to trade in your plan for His plan. Because He is watching closely over every word that He has spoken you, and He is preserving you. He is preserving your promise. He will ensure that it comes to pass.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son to die on a cross for me…for bringing your promise to pass. I am grateful for your amazing grace, and your Spirit, that enables me to do the things that you have called me to do. Forgive me Father, for any time that I have allowed my plans to get in the way of what you desire to do in and through my life. I know that you have a purpose for me. I know that you have always had an amazing plan for me. And today, I declare that I will trade all of my plans for yours. I declare that I will walk in obedience towards your will for my life. But I need your help along the way; I need your strength along the way. Because I can’t do this without you. And I don’t want to live this life without you. Thank you for your never-ending love. Thank you for protecting me; thank you for providing for me. Thank you for watching over your word, and for watching over my life. I know that with you by my side, I will do everything that you have called me to do. I love you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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