November 15, 2017
I Have a Great Plan, Lord!
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT).
Friend to Friend
“You need surgery, Mary,” the doctor said. Surely I had heard him wrong. My summer plans flashed before my eyes, and I clearly did not have time for surgery.
I had writing projects to complete, trips to take with our grandchildren, my usual painstakingly thorough summer house cleaning, several home improvements to complete … the list was impressive.
The doctor’s words interrupted my thoughts, “When can we get you on the schedule? We don’t want to wait too long.” I simply could not believe what he was telling me.
I had gone to see my general practitioner after a pretty nasty fall, but I just thought I had bruised my collarbone or pulled a ligament in my shoulder. He x-rayed my shoulder and said, “Well, the good news is that you have not broken anything.” Awesome! I was so relieved. “But you have separated your shoulder.” What? I then assumed they could pop it back into place – right? “I’m going to send you to an orthopedic surgeon,” he said. Seeing the look of horror on my face, he continued, “Just to see if you need physical therapy or surgery.” I knew what I needed. Physical therapy. But here is the orthopedic surgeon telling me I need surgery. I was not happy.
“How long is the recovery from this kind of surgery?” I asked.
“About 3 months, and it is a tough recovery that includes vigorous physical therapy,” he said.
The prospect of having to endure pain did not bother me. What did bother me was watching my summer slowly go down the drain before my eyes.
Have you ever been there? Your carefully laid out plans disintegrate before your eyes and you wonder what God is doing?
I know there are days when the plan of God seems completely wrong and we simply do not understand. Every moment is pregnant with darkness, and our hearts are numb, paralyzed by fear and doubt. We are treading water in the storm-tossed sea of life, desperately longing to see Him walking on the treacherous waves toward us, rescue in His hand.
It is in those shadowed moments that we must choose to trust the Plan Maker, the Master Designer, even though our faith is small, and we cannot understand the plan. His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And one day, every one of our question marks will be yanked into exclamation points as we see that high plan as He sees it – perfect.
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT).
Today, Girlfriend, set aside your meager agenda. Lay down your limited life arrangement and look for God to meet you at the point of surrender, power and victory in His hands. Now that is a great plan.
Let’s Pray
Father, please forgive me when I stubbornly choose to ignore Your plan for my life. Thank You for always being there for me, ready to rescue me from my own selfish desires and decisions. Help me remember that Your plan is the highest plan for my life and give me the strength to follow that plan. I want to honor and please You, Lord.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Read and memorize 1 Corinthians 3:16: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” How does this verse impact the way you live, think, and act?
More from the Girlfriends
The most common invitation offered by Jesus Christ is simply to "come." He doesn't ask us to fix what is wrong or expect us to clean up our lives. That is His responsibility. Jesus loves us just as we are - in the midst of our sin and frail humanity. When we come to Him with a "yes" in our hearts, He lovingly transforms the broken places into beautiful scars of healing and new life. "Come As You Are” is an encouraging message filled with hope and God's love and power to help us be all He created us to be. Check it out!And be sure to connect with Mary on Facebook or through email.
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Originally published Wednesday, 15 November 2017.
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