God has long-term plans for your life! Sometimes we can get so caught up in the world that we forget God placed us on this earth for His purpose. Are you aware that God has long-term plans for your life?
Psalm 139:16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. [1] Our God is a master planner, including the His plans for our lives. But we have free will to choose God’s plans or take our path. Some intersections lead us closer to God’s plans or away from them each day.
A friend was far from God’s plans when he fell into the muck and mire of his own making. When his life hit rock bottom, he cried out to God to come into his life. Often during these times of desperation, we discover the pointlessness of our plans and are open to God’s plans for our lives.
God Had Long-term Plans for the Israelites
After the Israelites went into captivity in Babylon, they wanted to hear that it was temporary. They wanted to go back home as soon as possible. God would use their time in Babylon as a time of refinement and remind them of the plans He had for them.
Jeremiah 29:10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 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.[2]
What Jeremiah told them was not what they wanted to hear, but I believe it was encouraging and showed them God loved and cared for them. When we receive hope for the future, moving forward and following the Lord is always easier.
The Lord Has Long-range Plans for You
God’s plans for our lives begin before birth and continue into eternity. I believe the Lord is joyful when He plans our lives and everything He wants us to do. The Apostle Paul tells us that letting the Lord transform us sets us on a path to fulfill His plans.
Romans 12:2 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. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. [3] They must be great joy in heaven when a believer in Jesus gives their will to the Lord. This act allows God to mold and transforms us. Isaiah 64:8 And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand. [4]
To learn how God has long-term plans, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/journey-exiled
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.