NOBODY PLANS TO FAIL, BUT OUR OWN PLANS OFTEN FAIL US

BIBLE PASSAGE:
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.”
(Jeremiah 29:11)

MEDITATION:
At times, planning can be a difficult task, can’t it?
Sometimes we feel confident that everything has been accounted for,
but other times, we have an uneasy feeling that something has been left out.
Planning requires an assessment of our resources and abilities,
and figuring out how they will help us to be successful with our plans.

Of course, God is the ultimate planner.
He sees everything from beginning to end and will omit nothing.
He knows the talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts He has given us,
so He knows what we are capable of accomplishing.
We may not even realize our own potential, but He does.

But there is a glaring concern we should have.
What if we have a feeling that God does not have plans for us?
It would be devastating to think that God doesn’t want to use us for anything.
Any feelings of worthlessness would be magnified tremendously,

What could we possibly look forward to in the life we are living now?
Imagine the anticipations which would be absent from our lives.
Could we expect to experience and enjoy His blessings?
We could have many questions if we felt that God did not have a plan for us.

ACTION:
We know that Satan wants to discourage us in any way possible.
But we should use God’s Word as a weapon to drive him out of our minds.
He would love for us to believe that God doesn’t care about us.
However we know from the scripture in Jeremiah,
that God absolutely cares about us (enough to include us in His plans).

He had plans for Jeremiah to become a ‘prophet to the nations’.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born
I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
What a daunting task for a young teenager to wrap his mind around.
How could he possibly be a prophet to those who were mostly older then him?
However, as steep of a challenge as this was for him, he picked up the gauntlet
from God and trusted that He would provide everything he needed to succeed.

Before we were born, God knew us and He had plans for us too.
The question we must ask is, “What will I do with His plans for me?”

The scriptures tell us that in order to understand His plans,
we need to commit to the Lord.
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
(Proverbs 16:3)
That means that we are willing to say, “Lord I want to do what You want me
to do no matter how insurmountable it may seem to me”.

We may choose to ignore His plans for us and map out our own way.
However, if we want to be successful, then we need to follow His plans for us.
Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)

Our plans may be subject to flaws and fall apart as a result of our mistakes,
but we can have complete assurance that the Lord’s plans for us have no flaws.
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations. (Psalm 33:11)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for having plans especially selected
for me. Help me to know Your plans for me and to diligently pursue
them with full confidence and trust in You. Whenever discouragement
comes, remind me that Your Word assures me Your plans for me will
never fail. Create in me a curiosity and an excitement to discover Your
plans for me and to look forward to being used by You!”

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