What Plans?
We hope you are enjoying the Girlfriends in God daily devotions. We (Mary, Sharon, and Gwen) would like to introduce you to some of our special friends. From time-to-time, the Friday devotions will be written by one of our friends in ministry. We call them our "Friday Friends." So grab your Bible and a fresh cup of coffee and drink in the words from our "Friday Friend", Lisa Whittle.
Today’s Truth
“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 a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)
Friend to Friend
It was a seemingly good plan that went awry. Larry Walters, a truck driver living in
His desire to fly caused him to take drastic measures. He purchased 45 heavy-duty weather balloons and several tanks of helium. Strapping the balloons to his lawn chair, Larry tied the chair to his Jeep and inflated the balloons with helium. He sat down and prepared to cut the rope, planning on drifting up a hundred feet in the air – just high enough to fulfill his dream of flying and look over the rooftops of his
16, 000 feet. After descending into power lines and causing a blackout in a nearby neighborhood, Larry Walters was ultimately able to climb safely to the ground without further incident.
When he reached the ground, the news media was there, waiting to interview him. Asked by one of them, “Why did you do it, Larry?” he paused and said, “A man can’t just sit around… It was something I had to do. I had this dream for twenty years….” Though Larry’s dream was a bust, it was not for lack of trying.
Like Larry, we are a society full of hopeful life planners with many goals and dreams. As women, we make plans for things everyday; only to realize that our plans rarely work out the way we want them to. Though we make our plans, Psalm 138:8 reminds us of God intentions: “The Lord will work out the plans for my life; don’t abandon me, Lord, for you created me.” Right now, right this very minute; He is working out His plans for both my life and your life. Despite all of our planning, He has the bases already covered. And the truth is that any plan we might have would never be a better plan than the ones He has for us.
Let’s pray
Father, forgive me for trying to create my own set of plans for my life. You are the all-knowing, all-powerful and ever present God who has a perfect set of plans already in place for me. Give me the strength and courage to stop all the planning and start trusting you to work things out on my behalf.
Now it’s your turn
1) Recognize that it is all about surrender. (…”I know, Lord, that a person’s life is not his own. No one is able to plan his own course.” Jeremiah 10:23)
2) Reject the desire to take control. (“Submit to God and be at peace with Him…” Job 22:21a)
3) Rest in the knowledge that He is working things out on your behalf. (“The Lord will work out the plans for my life; don’t abandon me, Lord, for you created me.” Psalm 138:8)
More from the Girls
Though all of us have dreams and plans, it’s a beautiful thing to surrender to the will of God and trust Him with your life. Only then will he be able to show you all the wonderful things He has to offer you. Will you join me in the faith journey, friends, as we relinquish control and rest in His sovereignty?
For more on this topic, see…
The 7 Hardest Things God Asks a Woman to Do by Kathie Reimer and Lisa Whittle (Shepherd Press, 2007)
Behind Those Eyes: What’s Really Going on Inside the Souls of Women by Lisa Whittle (Thomas Nelson, 2008)
Girlfriends in God
Matthews, NC 28106
Originally published Friday, 27 July 2007.
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