Following the Lord’s plan takes faith. Why is that? What is the Lord teaching us when we have to give up our plan for his? Why does the Lord want us to experience walking by faith not sight? Over my lifetime the Lord has taught me many things about following His plan.
For the first 37 years of my life, I followed by own plan. My plan was all about me. It could have been called the self-centered or spiritually immature plan. I was a person of faith, but not very wise with the gifts God had given me. Perhaps you can identify with me. Fortunately, the Lord intervened and called me to begin to walk by faith not by sight. It was life changing for me and my family.
The Israelites Followed the Lord’s Plan by Faith
There is no other city in the history of the world that was conquered like Jericho. It was a plan that took great faith to follow and tested the people’s faith as God demonstrated the importance of following His plan no matter how unusual it may be.
Joshua 6:2 But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. 3 You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. 4 Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. 5 When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.” … 20 When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it.[1]
Following God’s Plan for Your Life
God may still ask us to follow what seem like crazy plans for us today. Be sure to discern what it is that God is asking. His plans will always agree with Scripture. If something doesn’t agree with the Bible, it is not God’s plan. Here are some points to help you follow God’s plan for your life.
- Be in prayer: Only the Lord can reveal His plan for us.
- Be actively reading the Word: Taking just a few minutes each day to read what’s in the Word will give you a better understanding of the calling God has put on your life. It will allow you to better live out the life He desires for you.
- Seek a godly community: It’s much easier to follow God’s plans and act in ways that honor Him when you have friends around you that encourage you in your walk with the Lord. Seek out a community at church that will hold you accountable and be able to give you godly council.[2]
- Trust the Lord: Growing in faith is letting go of our plans for something better, which is walking by faith not by sight. Understand that following the Lord’s plan is not easy and often times God’s plan goes against the tide of the world.
May the Lord enable you to follow His plan for your life. To hear more about how following the Lord’s plan takes faith, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/faith-makes-a-difference-jericho-rahab
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] https://online.campbellsville.edu/ministry/gods-plan-for-your-life/