PLANS, PLANS, PLANS!

At the start of 2013, during our time of waiting on God, two scriptures came to us. The first was 1John 3:1: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!’ This speaks about our identity, and we spent the first part of the year unpacking this wonderful truth. The second verse was Jeremiah 29:11, which says: ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord,‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’ This verse reminds us of our calling as a church, and the fact that God has a purpose for us. It was originally spoken to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, to encourage them and remind them that God had not abandoned them. It seems appropriate for us as a church right now during this period of change and transition. GOD’S PLANS - ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. God is a God who loves to plan. Both creation and salvation reflect the planning of God, and so does the life of our church. Nothing happens to us by chance or by accident, and even the unexpected and disappointing events are woven into God’s overall purpose for us. We may not always understand why certain things happen, and we may sometimes feel that we have lost our way, but God speaks to reassure us – he does know what he is doing, and his plans for us still stand. We are invited to trust him in the changes taking place. GOOD PLANS - ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you’ In everything that God does he works for our good, and his plans are birthed in his love. Satan continually seeks to undermine our belief in the goodness of God, suggesting to us that God is les than good. This was his strategy in the Garden of Eden when he tempted Adam and Eve into sin, and he still slanders the character of God, telling us that God does not love us, that his plans for us have failed, or that he has abandoned us. This is why we need to hear this word of encouragement deep in our souls, and to accept the invitation to rejoice in the truth that our God is a good God who desires only to bless us. His plans for us are better than our own! GRACIOUS PLANS - ‘plans to give you a hope and a future’ The promise to the exiles is that after 70 years they will return to their own land. This was a promise of restoration, based upon grace, for they did not earn or deserve such favour. It came true of course, during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah when miraculously the people returned to the Promised Land and rebuilt the temple and the city. This major event in Israel’s history is one of the great salvation events in the Bible that remind us of God’s power to save and redeem. Nothing is too hard for our God. In his own time he will act according to his purpose and we have only to wait for his timing. God will do good for us too, not because we deserve it, but because he is gracious to us. This gives us our hope, and means we can be optimistic about the future. Here is an invitation for us to believe in a bright tomorrow. In the meantime, like Israel, we can focus on knowing God more deeply, which is always God’s priority for his people. The exiles are told to settle down, and find God in the present moment; not to live in the past, feel sorry for themselves or nostalgically remember how things used to be. Hard times can actually become wonderful learning experiences. Even in difficult circumstances we can call upon God, knowing that he will listen to our cry (v12). And we can press on in our spiritual journey, seeking God with all our heart, knowing that when we seek him, he will be found by us (v13). Yes, change has taken place, and it may take us a while to readjust, but we are not alone. God has not left us, and his good plans for us are solid and secure: ‘But the plans of the Lord stand firm for ever, the purposes of his heart through all generations(Psalm 33:11.’ Let us therefore choose to trust God, rejoice in his goodness, and believe him for a bright tomorrow!