“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(NLT)
When I was eighteen years old, I thought I would marry my high school sweetheart one day. The seasoned women who loved me encouraged me to take my time, to wait before I decided to make choices I might later regret, but no one could convince me that my feelings weren’t real. I was head over hills in love. Back then, I felt as though I would love this man a lifetime and that nothing about either of us would ever change. In my head, it was unimaginable that our feelings for one another would ever diminish, and my plans for marriage seemed perfect. My high school sweetheart’s love was all I thought I’d ever need.
God’s wisdom of Proverbs 9:6(NLT) instructs, “Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live; learn to use good judgment.” Simple ways are those that look at life through the lens of emotions. If it looks good and feels good, we might think it IS good. Living this way is a big mistake. So, the ‘simple ways’ that Proverbs 9:6 is referring to are the choices and decisions we make when we lack wisdom and experience. God instructs us to leave this kind of attitude and approach behind us, because it will not serve us well in life. In order to begin to really live God’s way, we must make it our responsibility to learn good judgment; this is judgment based on the truth of His Word.
Proverbs 19:21(NLT) tells us, “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” This verse states the obvious about our tendencies to make many plans on a whim. As women, we’re taught to make planning for marriage a central focus. It is so engrained that we make it a huge part of our happiness. In many cases, we become obsessive about it, and this can cause us to miss the opportunities for good judgment. We dive in heart first when we meet someone that might be compatible. If we carried out our plans without the patience and wisdom to hear from God, we’d get carried away and this could lead to a devastating mistake.
As much as I had my heart set on it, I didn’t end up marrying my high-school sweetheart, and at one time in my young life, I knew that I would. Instead, I moved away, and he married someone else. My plans changed. I now thank God for the time, maturity, and life experiences that He has allowed me. More importantly, I’m thankful that God had a plan for my life and that His plan prevailed.
God has a plan for the universe, and it includes plans for each of our individual lives. He didn’t need our help to come up with His plan. He assures us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He knows the plans He has for us. Our only part to play is to have faith in Him. God’s plans existed long before He placed us in our mother’s wombs, but often we deviate from the script. We think we know best and come up with our own plans without seeking Him. Understand that God has woven a check within the dynamics of life. When we veer off the path of His plan, life will check us in ways that will most certainly get our attention.
In Malachi 3:6(NLT), God tells us, “I am the Lord, and I do not change.” God doesn’t change but you and I must change in order to live according to His Will. He instructs us in Romans 12:2(NLT), “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” We must allow God to transform us by reading and studying His Word. The more of His Word that we consume and digest, the more like Christ we will become. This is what God blesses. He blesses and rewards our efforts to become like His Son, Jesus Christ.
We can’t allow feelings and emotions to rule our lives. Our humility to do what God says must have governance over us. Philippians 2:13(NLT) says that “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Our response to this truth must be one of letting Him do this work. We must allow ourselves to be guided by God and understand that He has placed in our hearts both the desire and power to fulfill our purpose in His plan. Pleasing God and fulfilling our purpose in His Will must be our life’s motivation. When it is, our faith in His provision and love will never waver, because we’ll trust that walking through life with Him is the best blessing we could ever hope to receive.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Plans Change, You Change, but Not God”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
