Planned

 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:5

God goes way back with us – further than anyone - even to before each of us was born.  He knew us BEFORE He made us, BEFORE we existed as we know and understand existence.  Think about that for a minute.

He didn’t just know about us, but He knew US - individually.  He knew what we are like, the sound of our voice, the color of our hair, the size of our hands, the shape of our smiles, the sound of our sneeze, the quirk of our laughter.  He knew about our uniquely good qualities and gifted us with them.  He also knew our uniquely bad qualities and where we would have weaknesses.  Yet, He loved us anyway, and decided to give us life.  We were not accidents or randomly made.  Nothing is accidental with God.  We were each, individually, planned.  We were planned by the same God that placed 228 muscles in the head of a caterpillar.  We were planned by the same God that decided which trees should have blossoms and which should only have leaves.  We were designed with intricate detail according to His individual blue print for each of us.

All other relationships we can have are trivial compared to the relationship we can have with God.  He’s known us from before life got in the way of living.  He knows the date when we had our very first heartbeat, and He has heard each one since.  He knows the date when we will have our last heartbeat, and He will hear that one as well.

But His plan did not end when we were born.  Our creation was just “Phase 1” of a greater project: our life.  He says in Jeremiah 1:5 of Jeremiah that He set him apart, and ordained him to be a prophet.  But He didn’t just set Jeremiah apart and determine His future.  He set each of us apart to a specific plan as well.  Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  It’s not just about Jeremiah, and not just about prophets or preachers, it’s about each of us.  WE are HIS workmanship – made by Him.  WE were created to be IN CHRIST, with a purpose.  God prepared a plan for each of our lives BEFORE we were born.

Life is like a jigsaw puzzle, each of us being a puzzle piece, with one space that fits each of us perfectly.  It’s a space designed by God, for each of us individually.  When we’re in that plan, life is perfectly fitted around us.  We “fit in”.  We are content, and at rest with life.  But when we try to fit Him into our plans, choosing a different ‘puzzle space’ or plan, things aren’t always smooth and easy.  We don’t always “fit in”.  Taking on a different plan for our life is more like hammering a jigsaw piece into place.  It may go down into the spot made for another puzzle piece, but the puzzle isn’t the same, not even for those that are fitting around it.  It’s uncomfortable and unsatisfying.

Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” How arrogant we are to think we can plan our own lives when God has had one for us since before we were born, and has predestined our plan in His great plan for life.  How much more successful we would be, not just financially or in happiness or relationships, but successful in the fullest sense of gratification, if we would seek His plan for our lives first.  How much more content, satisfied, and at peace we would be if we found the place where we “fit in”.

So many of us start new chapters in our lives at this time of year.  We graduate from high school or college, we get married, move to another town, or we take on new jobs and new careers.  This is the time to seek Him and seek His plan.  Only His plan will bring contentment, peace, and joy to our lives, and give us that feeling of fitting in.