The Plumbline

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. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT) This may be one of a group of frequently quoted scripture verses, but if we look closely at what God says here, it will be more than just a great 'logo' for a coffee cup! He knows the plans HE has for us. Will they always match up to OUR plans. Nope. Will his timing for those plans be OUR timing? Nope. Will we wish we knew more of the plan before we start doing whatever it is he asks? Yup. They are HIS plans for US. Plain and simple, we cannot outwit his plans, nor can we succeed when we challenge them by taking our own plans more seriously than his. They are plans for good and not disaster. We need to grasp fully what he is telling us right there. He doesn't plan calamity, although it comes into our lives without us ...

  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. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. (Jeremiah 29:11-13) There are seasons in our lives where 'planning' is just not possible. We call those crisis times. In those moments, we react to the current needs, forgetting all about plans we may have made or plans we'd like to make. Why? Our attention is required in the present moment. It is good to know that even when we are not able to 'plan' or 'work the plan' we have made, God remains fully in control of our lives. His plan is being worked, even when ours may have had to go on hold for a bit! As we move from crisis moment to 'normal routine' again, we may assume the plans we had made, but it is quite possible our plans were altered by the crisis. Why? The crisis made something clearer, rearranged our priorities...