“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, KJV)
I remember when my children were born. Even before then, when I knew they were on the way, I had great plans for their lives. I wanted them to be successful in life and to bring a positive reflection on the family name. Nobel hopes. My dad had the same for me and my siblings. College, a good career, and to be a respected adult is what he seemed to want.
How did all our fatherly goals for our children work out? Let me give you the facts. I did finish college as my dad helped as much as he could with a first-year tuition payment of $1000. He wanted me in an engineering profession, likely where he worked in steam turbine design, and to have a respectable family. Well, it all pretty much worked out, except I ended up working in a variety of engineering and management jobs in a completely different field than my dad and a two-day drive from my dad’s home.
It was the same with my children. They went on their journey in life and ended up fine. Every step they took was not my perfect choice, but they are now doing exceptionally well and I am proud of them.
Why do I bring this up? It is because as parents, we often have grand plans for our kids, but ultimately have very little control over where they will end up in life. The reason is that we have not the power nor the wisdom to perfectly guide them.
It is much different for us in our spiritual journey. As believers, God is our Father. Moreover, our Heavenly Father has an awesome plan for our lives. We often plan out our lives thinking what we will be and do. However, our Heavenly Father in some strange and mysterious ways directs our steps. The writer of Proverbs affirms this truth, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9, KJV)
God’s plans for us are perfect even when they include difficulties that we would rather not experience.
God had a plan for Jeremiah’s life before he was conceived in the womb. The plan was for Jeremiah to be a prophet. When we look at Jeremiah’s life as a prophet, we will see that his road was not an easy one. Yet it was one that fitted perfectly into the great plan of God.
You might say that Jeremiah was a special person and that you and I are in a different category. In some ways you would be right. None of us as believers will the exact same thing that Jeremiah did. However, our Heavenly Father does have a plan for each of us. I truly believe that this plan for us was established before we were born and that He was working to bring us to faith at the precise moment in history to do the specific tasks in the body of Christ, the church, that He had desired.
For me this was in 1983 when I came to faith while reading a Gideon placed Bible in a Minneapolis hotel room. The Lord placed me in local church where I was mentored and immediately became active in their canvassing ministry, going door to door and inviting people to church. Later He called me to the fulltime pastoral ministry.
Now, not every believer will be on a journey like mine. However, The Father has a plan for ever believer to serve in the local church in some fashion. For this reason, He has ensured that every believer has a manifestation of the Spirit, that is a spiritual gift to serve in the body of Christ, the church. So, realize that you, as a believer, have a special and critical divinely appointed part in God’s great kingdom work. Confidently and energetically engage in the ministry of the local church for His glory. You may not think that what you are doing in your church is important, but what ever way you serve is vital to the over mission given by the Lord.
Renewing the Heart 