God's Plan

The blueprints for His plans are in His Word. Study it, and trust Him to help you get to the finish line to see the beautiful masterpiece He will create through you. In the mean time, don't quit.

Today’s devotional is a completely different subject. In the last few weeks, the blog posts were about Fulfillment in Christ. This week, I felt led to talk about something else. This blog post was inspired by one of my favorite Bible Verse. Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." KJV‬‬ Since I was a child, my parents always encouraged me to write down my goals and plans for the new year. I’ve done so on New Year’s Eve for several years now; and last year was no different.  When this year started, I was almost sure that all my plans and goals we’re going to be accomplished. Then the month of March came and almost the entire world shut down. Church services were cancelled and we had to watch online or listen to radio services. Schools /colleges moved in-person classes to virtual learning. Personally, my job cut my hours significantly. You could say things were scary and people started panicking. To be honest, I was panicking too (especially at the beginning).  About a month after the shut down, my mother in law gave me a belated birthday present. It was a beautiful glass frame with the inscription of the verse from Jeremiah 29:11. As I read the verse, I couldn’t help as tears welled up in my eyes. The Lord was reminding me of His promise.  Several months later and with the slow start of our new normal, I’m still reminded of God’s promise to give us an expected end.  You see, one of the things about this verse that the Lord had to open my eyes to see was the fact that only the end is talked about in this verse. The verse never talks about what we are going to face or what’s going to happen in the middle or along the way. It only mentions the fact that the Lord will give us an expected end. Of course, there are several scripture verses in the Bible that talks about how the Lord will be with us in the midst of the battles we go through. However, this is not this verse. Jeremiah 29:11 only offers the comfort of 'a light at the end of the tunnel'. His plans for us are to give us that expected end we're dreaming of. I don’t know what your current situation is like. Perhaps you feel like giving up. Perhaps you are wondering where God is. Or maybe you’ve already concluded that He has given up on you.  That couldn’t be any farther from the truth!  He is thinking about you and has the power to give a great ending to your story. However, you have to keep going to see the great ending He has for you. Quitting is not an option. Our current circumstances be it difficult or simple are not scary to Him. All we have to do is ask Him for strength to make it to the finish line.  Conclusion As I conclude, I wanted to share the words of the poem Don't Quit, to remind you of the fact that everything happens for a reason and that Gods plan is to lead you to a fantastic end. So trust Him for guidance; lean on Him for strength and seek Him for peace. 

Don't Quit

by: John Greenleaf Whittier When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns

As every one of us sometimes learns

And many a failure comes about

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up though the pace seems slow—

You may succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than It seems to a fair and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up When he might have captured the victor's cup, And he learned too late when night came down, How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out—

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell just how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit—

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit. Image credit: google

Quick Prayer:  Dear God, please forgive me for the doubt, fear, worry, anxiety.... and the lack of faith I’ve displayed. I relinquish my need for control and ask that you lead me from now on. I accept your will and plan for my life. I trust You with the lead and know that you will guide me to an amazing end. Thank you for reminding me about your thoughts and plans for me. In Jesus name. Amen! Stay Blessed!