When the announcement time came at the end of our worship service, he proudly proclaimed he had just celebrated his ninth birthday for the ninth time. He had been born with a purpose, after all.
John’s birth weight registered just shy of two pounds. Not necessarily a thing to get overly concerned about in our world of modern medicine marvels, but still a situation that can pose a danger in the present and health problems in the future. Wonderfully trained doctors and nurses staff our modern NICUs. Trouble was, these present-day marvels weren’t around when John’s mother birthed him.
I did the math. John’s mom had birthed him in 1939. His first bed was a shoebox, and his first crib was one of the drawers in a set of chest of drawers. His mother placed a large piece of ice near him, and then let a fan blow the cool air across John’s tiny body. You see, the month was July, and they lived in Mississippi.
When John’s mother asked the doctor what to feed him, he said, “Just let him nurse for as long as he lives.” His words sounded like a death sentence, for sure.
But John didn’t die. In fact, he grew up to be a healthy man who served in various local churches by working with the youth, leading mission trips, providing music, and leading worship. God had plans for him that his mother nor the doctor could imagine. And when God has a plan, birth weight poses no problem.
“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
Just as God had a plan for John, He also did for Jeremiah and the nation of Israel. He also does for us. Of course, we have a choice in those plans. God gives us free will. How His sovereignty aligns with that has confounded the greatest minds, but the Bible teaches both.
But like Jonah, we can ignore God’s plan and go our own way. God, however, wouldn’t have His plan thwarted. He let Jonah spend a few nights in the belly of a large fish to teach him a lesson about the dangers of ignoring God’s plan. Although God has never sent a large fish my way, He has steered me back to His path through various unpleasant measures.
I’ve always discovered—sometimes later rather than sooner—that following God’s plan is best. God’s will is done when I obey, and I’m happier in the end. In those times when I’ve been unsure, prayer, meditation on His Word, and listening to the Spirit helped.
So don’t sell God short. His plan is beyond our wildest dreams. It can take us to places we never thought we’d go—geographically and otherwise. It might also include enduring pain we never imagined. Whatever the nature of His plan, God will walk with us, hand in hand, and accomplish through us more than we could ever imagine.
Say yes to God’s plan, whatever it involves.
What steps can you take to follow God’s plan for your life?
(photos courtesy of pixaby and, in order, stevepb, keywest3, Antranias, and Simy27)
God uses us in miraculous ways when we open our lives to His direction.
Yes, he does.