For as long as I can remember, I have been a "planner."
As a wife and homemaker, I plan our meals weeks in advance.
As a teacher, I plan my lessons weeks in advance.
Just in general, I have always enjoyed looking at my calendar, jotting things down, and planning out "my life," so to speak. I thrive on schedules and structure...sometimes a little bit too much.
In the last 3 months, the Lord has been teaching me that I can't plan out my life. Things definitely don't happen the way that I think or hope or plan that they're going to.
The good news is that God has already planned my life for me!
He had it all worked out before time even began.
"Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them." (Psalm 139:16)
Some other verses that He has brought to my mind lately are...
"The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)
"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9)
And this is one that I actually just found today that stuck out to me.
"O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness." (Isaiah 25:1)
Wow, perfect faithfulness. I love that. I need that.
I like how Brandon Heath puts it in his song, "Wait and See."
"There is hope, for me yet, because God won't forget all the plans he's made for me
I have to wait and see, He's not finished with me yet, He's not finished with me yet.
God teach me to trust you. Teach me to follow you. Teach me about you.
God bless us. God lead us."
I definitely don't understand right now exactly what God is doing and how He is going to use Alethia's brief life to bring glory to Himself. The pain and heartache are still there, and it's so hard to "wait and see," but I'm so encouraged by these verses and thankful that my God is faithful, and He's not finished with me (or any of us!!) yet.
7 comments:
Charity- I am the exact same way. I had had my baby Max planned from at least a year before he was conceived - we would get pregnant in the fall, have a baby a few months before we moved and then have a little complete family by the time we were in Maryland.
But God had such a different plan. I will never understand why I lost Max, but I know that I will always be so thankful for both of my children, they both have changed my life forever. Isn't it so good to know that even through the bad situations that sin and death have created in this world, we have a God who is using these times to shape and mould us for the better?
thank you for your words of encouragement!!! :) you are a blessing to me.
Definitely, Abbie!
you have been a tremendous encouragement to me these last few months. I love how honest you are...and how you love God's Word and cling to the promises. Keep clinging. I love you.
i'm so glad He knows whats best for us. we would all be miserable if everything always went according to our plans.
Thank you for those verses and your encouragement. You and Tony are such an encouragement.
One statement and truth I always cling to is the fact that my ways are not His ways-and His ways are ALWAYS better and so is His timing. god does to ask us to understand He only asks us to Be Still, and trust.
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