There Is a Plan

 

 

Charmain Hibberd, cbn.com

It’s not often that you embark on a journey without knowing where you are going, is it?

When I travel somewhere, I usually like to know the route I am going to take to get there, how long it is going to take to get there, and most of all, where I am going!

That may all sound obvious, but life with Christ is often much more of a game of trust.

Journeying life as a Christian does not guarantee you a comfortable life. In fact, as an active Christian, you may come up against some serious resistance from the enemy of your soul. Your enemy, Satan, does not like that your life is hidden in Christ and that your destiny is eternity. He will likely put up a fight to try to derail you from your path, your purpose, and try to prevent you from living life in all its fullness (see John 10:10).

The good news is that Satan has already been defeated! We must not consider the spiritual war that we are in as a cosmic arm-wrestle between two equal opponents, but rather a battle between Creator and created. The battle is already won!

I have lost sight on many occasions of the victory that is rightfully mine in Christ. I have allowed my perceived lack of control over my life to render me powerless. But here is some more good news—no matter how out of control and helpless you may feel in your Christian walk, there is a plan!

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV tells us this:

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.”

God is good and loving by His very nature. It’s who He is! He has mapped out your journey through life down to the finest detail, and your primary responsibility now is to trust Him.

The word prosper is to be successful or fortunate, to thrive or flourish.

So, we can safely deduce that the plans God has for our lives are good. His intention is not to create a life for us that causes us harm but one that causes us to thrive, flourish, and have hope for the future.

Now, this does not mean that we will never experience hardship. God often uses the valley times in our lives to refine and sharpen us in ways that He could not if we sailed through a trouble-free life.

God tells us straight in John 16:33 that we will have troubles in life, but we are to take heart because He has overcome the world!

We also learn in 2 Corinthians 4:17 that our earthly troubles are light and momentary in comparison with the eternal glory that will far outweigh them all.

Having said all this, we are encouraged in Scripture to count the cost before setting out on our journey with Jesus.

Luke 14:28-30 says:

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’”

I don’t know about you, but when I reach the end of my life on earth, I want to be able to look my Saviour in the face and say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (See 2 Timothy 4:7).

And in response, I am longing to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (See Matthew 25:21).

So, whether you are just beginning your walk with Jesus or are in the middle of it, take courage because God has a plan for your entire journey with Him. He has gone before you and seen it all.

When you experience incredible mountain-top highs and also stretching valley lows, trust that there is hope and a future. Trust that you will come through all seasons of life well if you remain close to Him – our Shepherd, our Guide, our God.