Failure to understand God’s plan can cause poor decisions, resentment, and even bitterness. If we don’t understand God’s plan, we focus on ourselves, not the Lord. Faith is trusting God’s actions in my life, even when it does not make sense. Perhaps you have been in a situation where God’s plan does not make sense.
The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years while the Lord worked out His plan for their lives. Sometimes God’s plans don’t take us in a direct line but a detour because that fulfills His plan and purpose. Occasionally God’s plan seems like a storm because life is not working out how we think it should. If we are honest, we all question God’s plan at certain times. 2 Corinthians 5:7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.[1]
Peter Did Not Understand God’s Plan
Peter and the disciples did not understand that Jesus would give up His life, although He told them many times. Matthew 16:21 From then on, Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day, he would be raised from the dead. [2]
When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter put his plan into action to save Jesus. This was a poor decision as Peter cut the right ear off Malchus, the high priest’s slave. John 18:11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?” [3]
Luke 22: 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. [4] Jesus would fulfill God’s plan as He would die for our sins and rise from the dead, just as He told the disciples.
Trusting God’s plan
The Lord gives us a lamp to light our path because He needs us only to see a few feet ahead. As we journey through life, God’s plan for our life does not come into full view as we walk by a lamp. Also, as we walk along, we must continually be in contact with God as He guides us and sometimes carries us. As our relationship with Jesus grows, so does our trust in where He is leading us.
The Bible tells us repeatedly how much the Lord loves us, cares for us, and gives His life for us. Our God does not lead us astray but to green pastures and still waters. Yes, I agree that, at times, the Lord’s plan makes no sense on this side of eternity. In many ways, life is like a weaver’s tapestry where one side is beautiful, and the other is a chaotic mess of knots, yet it is the same tapestry. As believers, we are God’s tapestry, created in His image for His purpose.
To learn more about the failure to understand God’s plan, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/follow-denial
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.