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
This verse is a favorite of many. It gives us hope that God has good plans for us. If we consider the context, however, the Israelites are being told they will spend 70 years in captivity and after this time God has planned good things for them. They are told to basically bloom where they are planted in captivity.
If you read through the Old Testament, you will see God takes good care of those who stay true to Him during the hard times. Daniel is a prime example of this.
Daniel was placed into a high position of government. This made some of the natives of the land jealous. They concocted a scheme against him to stop him from praying to God. Daniel stayed true to God and prayed as he always had. This caused him to be thrown into the lion’s den.
Doesn’t sound like very good plans so far, does it? But God had Daniel’s back. Daniel spent a night in the lion’s den and was not harmed by the lions. Why? Because God shut their mouths and even though they had not eaten in a few days, He kept them from being aggressive and attacking Daniel.
If you read back in Exodus and Leviticus, God gave very specific plans for constructing the temple, furnishing the temple, the jobs of the priest, even the clothing the priest would wear. He gave very specific instructions about how they were to offer offerings. He gave very detailed instructions about the laws and how punishment for violating them would be carried out.
No matter what is going on in your life right now. God has it all planned out. If it’s not so good just know He’s got you. There is no place in the Bible that tells us as Christians we will never suffer. Actually, there are many verses that tell us we will experience suffering. We are told in 1 Peter 5:10, however, “The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen and support you after you have suffered a little while.”
If we never suffered, we would never know just how good God is to us. We would never understand His vast power and His ability to restore us. Suffering is never something we plan to do, but it happens. When it happens, we must trust in Him and His plan. We must realize His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9).
Though we may not understand why we are suffering, we need to know He will take good care of us even in the hard times. He has a plan for us. He has a good plan for us, it might just take a while to see it unfold. This is where our trust and obedience are crucial.
Proverbs 16:9 tells us the heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. We can plan, but God will have the ultimate say. His will is what will be done. Understand that His plan is better than anything we could plan on our own. Trust in Him.
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in the LORD with all our heart and not to lean on our own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your crooked path straight. He’s got good plans for you. Don’t get so wrapped up in your plans that you fail to acknowledge Him.
Stick to God’s plan. Trust in Him to take good care of you. Even in the hard times, know He is working all things out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Stay close to Him through Bible study and prayer and stick to His plan for your life.
Have a great day!