Plans I have for you

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This past weekend was the Blue Angel show that is put on over the beach in my hometown. As I was watching this show, I was thinking about the person who actually put the flight plan together for the pilots.  The plan is right on point and takes the planes in directions so that they don’t collide as they fly only inches apart from each other. However, it’s up to the pilot to follow the plan. What if the pilot decides not to follow the plan? What do you think would happen? It would not end well, and someone would either die or a lot of folks would get hurt who are their watching the show. This is why they spend so much time going over the plan and practicing the plan each day. Which also requires trusting of their teammates and the person who puts the flight plan together.
 
Isn’t our life the same? Our Father has a plan together for us. Jeremiah 29:11-13 “11 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. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Our Father has put together a plan for our lives. However, we decided not to follow up and then we crash and burn and then we always ask why did this happen to me? It’s because we don’t follow the plan – His plan. The reason I can say this is because I have been there, and I know what is like to crash and burn and see the hurt of the people that were surrounding me.
 
About 12 years ago, I had a job that God lead me to. I know this because there was no way I would have found this job on my own. However, after about 3 years into the job, I wanted something more. Well, let’s call it like it is, I wanted more money. I started to look for a job making more money and going against the plan God had for me. I found that job and accepted the job without praying about it. I took this job based on money and status. After 5 years in, my sales position was eliminated without notice. I made a decision to chase money instead of following the plan God had for me. By doing this I put financial strain on my family. After being out of work for 6 months, a friend of mine called and offered me a job. It was the same industry, that I had left to chase the money. If I would have only followed Gods plan instead of my own I would not have put my family in the situation that I did.
 
Just as the Blue Angels Airshow plan was customized, our life was customized.
 
Psalms 139:16 “You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!”
 
You were born in response to the determined plan of God, not as an afterthought.  Before you even took one breath, every day, every step and every circumstance in your plan was recorded.  God’s plan uses your strengths as well as your weaknesses.  We all have strengths – they are part of the plan.  We all have limitations – they too are part of the plan.  We all have seasons of life that are essential to the plan as well. True success comes when, instead of constantly fighting against or trying to change the plan, we learn to identify and build on our strengths, accept the limitations as hedges of protection from God and yield to the seasons in life as God’s avenue of perfect timing. God’s plan for you is not a “one-size-fits-all.” No, it is customized and just your size.
 
If you have ever watch the Blue Angels’ Airshow, you know that a person put together a great plan for them to follow to put on this fantastic show. We need to know our life plan is a good one also. Jeremiah 29:11, “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.” God does a plan for us we however go against it because we think we know better. For some reason, we tend to think that God sat down one day and designed a sinister life plan laced with pain and defeat. Nothing could be further from the truth. This train of thought contradicts the very nature of God and misunderstands His heart – the heart of a loving Father who wants the absolute highest and best plan for His child. It is a good plan!
 
How do we discover God's plan for our life? By spending time with the plan maker and by saturating daily life with His truth and continually turning our hearts to a conversation with Him. Not because we have a Bible Study to teach or an invitation to speak, but simply because we love the sound of His voice and long for the ecstasy of His presence. When we spend time with Him the plan naturally unfolds as we take every “next step” in obedience.