Finding God’s plans can seem overwhelming: who to marry, where to live, what job to take; and on the list goes. It would be helpful if God sent a daily email with a “to do” list, or let me borrow His daily planner where all of my days are recorded. (Psalm 139:16) God doesn’t use email, and I only have my Franklin Covey, so there must be another way.
God’s plans can be divided into two groups; the common, shared plans, and the specific, individual plans. The common, shared plans are the commands and promises for all of us, found throughout the Bible. The specific, individual plans are more difficult to know. They are our personal choices, unique to each of us.
Certainly God is not hiding His plans from us; or is He? I believe He hides them for us, instead of from us. Think about your favorite movie. Remember the first time you watched it, and how you enjoyed the unexpected twists and turns? You may watch the movie many times, but the surprise element is gone after the first viewing. Life would be monotonous if we knew everything in advance.
If God gave us the entire plan in one moment, we might look into the future, losing our focus for the present. I chose to be a stay-at-home mom, and for years worried what I would do when my children were grown. Now I have an empty nest, and the Lord is faithfully leading me into new endeavors, such as writing. He is also renewing interests I neglected while raising my children. If God had shown me these things years ago, I might have become distracted from parenting, pursuing purposes meant for my future.
Psalm 37:23 tells us God leads our steps. We take one step at a time, so the next step is all we need to know. Years ago, I answered an organization’s request to correspond with five new Christians from West Africa. These five Africans gave my address to others, which resulted in a deluge of letters. I developed a Bible correspondence course to strengthen these young Christians in their faith. This ministry lasted five years and reached more than two thousand people in Ghana, West Africa. One small step led to something far greater than I imagined.
Proverbs 4:18 says our path gets brighter as we live for the Lord. Direction continues to come as we seek Him with our whole hearts. (Jeremiah 29:11-13) He leads us as we stay close to Him in fellowship and prayer.
Daily, we come to know God’s plans for our lives. His plans do not consist of a single destination; this is a journey for a lifetime.
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