Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11

God Has a Plan

Jeremiah 29:11

Are you familiar with this popular passage?

You might have a mug, journal, or pretty desk stationary with the inscription from Jeremiah on it. Here is why it is so powerful. God utters these words as a part of a more significant prophecy starting at the beginning of chapter 29 (feel free to read for context). The children of Israel are being held captive, and as they cry out to God about their situation and any word on how long they will be there, God answers. 

God does not answer with a word we’d all love to hear when we are in a difficult place, but to sum it up, they will be there for a long while—decades to be exact. And it’s on the tail end of this difficult-to-hear response, God echoes these famous words: “I know the PLANS I have for you.”

So why do we plan and then pray? 

In my time with God, He whispered this firm, yet loving admonishment: “stop planning.” He didn’t stop there. “Stop planning and then laying your plans before Me. Lay your plans before me and THEN plan.”

So simplistic, but it floored me. God has an ultimate plan we can trust. Before your next meeting or creating another to-do list, I invite you to pause and pray for His will and the way to be revealed.

The Purpose-filled Planner’s Prayer:

Dear God,

At times I tend to run ahead of you. Today, I pause, and instead of bringing you my plans, I bring you, me. Align my heart and my plans with yours as I surrender my good intentions for your greatest good.

Amen.

The Purpose-filled Planner’s Challenge:

Do you have too much on your plate?  Review your plans for the upcoming week. Remove or defer a task that seemed like the grown-up thing to do (laundry, wash the car, etc.) but really could be done at a less busy time. Replace it with a scheduled time to pray and listen about the week to come. Note any changes to the feel of your new week as we declutter our way to clarity.

Scripture: Psalms 143:8

God Is Trust Worthy

Psalms 143:8

Have you ever been let down?

One of the emotions I struggle with the most is that sinking feeling of disappointment when I count on someone’s help, and they don’t come through for me. I have been the receiver and the giver of this type of beautiful letdown, and I have had to make peace with the truth that we are ALL imperfect human beings.

But have you ever been burnt by chronic disappointment? A heart can only take so much!  And if it goes unchecked, it can lead to a dangerous untruth, “no one can be trusted.” Before we know it, we have lost confidence in humanity, and even more devastatingly, we have lost confidence in God.

We may not articulate this despair with our words, but it certainly comes out in our calendars and to-do lists. We fill our calendars, week after week, with items that we should delegate to others. We take on tasks we insist cannot be done by anyone else and misalign goals to push us to the desired end that does not always include God.

“Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust.”

Are your heart, thoughts, and even plans cluttered with distrust? We serve a God whose love for us is unfailing. We can trust him with our very life.

The Purpose-filled Planner’s Prayer:

Dear God,

I acknowledge my tendency to take on too much as a way to control my success and happiness. Please forgive me and heal the areas of my heart that have been broken by disappointment, either by others or the times you did not answer the way I wanted you to. 

Amen.

The Purpose-filled Planner’s Challenge:

Do you have goals that seem to go unfulfilled year after year? Don’t be in such a rush.  The most successful companies have execution plans that sometimes span several years. A Godly goal that is prayerfully deferred should not be viewed as a failure. Review your current goals, and both prayerfully and intentionally reassign one to next year or beyond. I challenge you to trust God to get you to the finish line on time and with peace of mind.

Scripture: Psalms 20:4

God Wants to See You Happy 

Psalms 20:4 

Have you considered that your enjoyment is biblical?

Living a purpose-filled life should not feel like drudgery (hard, menial, or tedious work). God wants us to have what we desire. If you are like me, you are asking the difficult, soul-searching question: “what if our desires are not good, righteous, or holy?” Well, to answer that, we must do a bit of digging into the passage. 

The root word in Hebrew for purpose/counsel used in the text refers to one’s plan(s)—not just any plans, but those that are inspired by God and rooted in His wise counsel. 

The author of Psalms Chapter 20 asserts that the king put God’s business first and is enraptured with God. These two actions are a natural outcome of a Godly relationship—one that pleases Him and transforms and informs our will. Time with God will change your desires. Also, God wants your plans fulfilled just as much as you do. He not only wants you to check those plans off your list as achieved, but He also wants you to find enjoyment in fulfilling them. 

Do your goals bring you a sense of gloom instead of delight? Are you questioning if your list of ambitions is what God wants for you? Take a step back from the grind, and if it is God, He will pull your heart towards it again in time. 

The Purpose-filled Planner’s Prayer:

Dear God, 

Thank you for caring about my joy and contentment. At times I am so blinded by the satisfaction of getting things done that I miss out on the joy in the process and the pleasure that comes from doing things with you and not just for you. Would you please continue to call me away into times of intimacy and transform my will in your presence? 

Amen. 

The Purpose-filled Planner’s Challenge:

Here is an intimate question. How is your intimacy with God? Not your church attendance, not how many ministries you served this week, and certainly not your productivity at work or in your business. Just personal time, in His presence, where you can be transformed and informed. I challenge you to table something from your calendar that has been feeling like drudgery instead of joy. It will either find you again or fall right off your purpose radar. Time with the Father will confirm which one is taking place.