Growing
up in a Protestant church, I was introduced to the Bible at an early age in
Sunday school and vacation Bible school.
Children were given their very own Bibles around age 10. But it was not until my 20s that I was
encouraged by a friend to read the Bible and “listen” for God speaking to me in
what I read. By doing so over many years
now, I continue to grow in my appreciation and understanding of what these “spoken
words” reveal as one seeks intimacy and truth with a living Savior who wants to
shepherd His people, each one known to Him by name.
The
many books of the Bible written over hundreds of years by people in different
times, cultures and stations in life amazingly contain some very central themes
and consistent characterizations of God and His ways. For some years, I have noticed how God has
plans—and they are good. At a very
difficult time in my life, I came upon Jeremiah 29:11 and its clear
presentation of God’s plans being for good and not for evil. Constantly, God encourages His people to make
good choices, life over death, blessing over cursing, light over darkness,
faith over doubt.
Recently,
I wrote about noticing two key things at the beginning of the story of Lazarus
in John 11. Jesus loved Lazarus and his
sisters, and God had a good plan that would bring Him glory. It certainly didn’t look like anything good
was in the works as Lazarus died and was buried in a tomb before Jesus arrived,
but Jesus kept engaging the sisters to listen to Him and believe “I am the
resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
During
this week’s prayer and share group discussion, we talked some about God’s
plans. We turned our attention to
Joseph, the famous Joseph with the technicolor coat. Good had a good plan for his life, but many
years of hardship, including being dropped into a hole by his brothers and then
sold to passing travelers, passed before he was taken out of jail to interpret
Pharaoh’s dream. The wisdom God gave Him
to do this was recognized, and he supervised a plan to store up food before
years of draught came.
During
the draught, his brothers traveled to Egypt for food. After Joseph revealed his identity and
forgave his remorseful brothers for what they had done to him, he told them, “As
for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to
bring about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Gen. 50:20). God had a plan and a purpose which was to
accomplish much good for many people.
What he always needs is someone to believe such things, especially when
circumstances are troublesome and discouraging.
In
January, 2010, I wrote Billy Graham’s words from Day by Day in the front page of my Bible: “Nothing takes God by surprise. Everything is moving according to a plan, and
God wants you to be in that plan. The
devil also has a plan for the world. God
has a plan, and the devil has a plan, and you will have to decide which plan
you are going to fit into.”
God’s
word tells us to seek Him, to listen to His voice, to ask for His wisdom to
discern His plans in the midst of life’s ups and downs. God wants to reveal “possibilities born of
faith” as Mother Theresa called them, the good plans He hopes to bring about
despite what can be the worst of life’s circumstances. Gifts of faith and power to believe--these He
longs to give us still.
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