His Plan

“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.  – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Many of us know this verse. It is often used to encourage us when we feel lost, or when we need reminding that even if things are difficult right now, God has plans for us and they are good.

“For I know the plans I have for you…”

I have been drawn to those nine words that start off the verse, but it’s not because I am going through a rough time or really searching for my place. I think it is because I do know that God has plans for my life and I am unsure how they are going to come to be. Plans that I have felt for a long time but I know I am not living them fully yet.

I was reminded recently that our journey is just that, it is a journey, not a one time stop. If it was, our lives would only having significance at the final destination. The journey is largely what God’s plan for us is all about.

God has placed desires in my heart that have not been brought to fruition. I have been thinking about how they will be realized and how it may not be tomorrow… or three years from now… or ten. But because they are God’s plans, I can take comfort in knowing that they will come, even if I can’t see how right now.

I know the culture we live in is an ‘I need now’ culture where being patient and waiting seems like a weird concept. However, the journey is crucial. I can look back and see how I became the person I needed to be to fulfill God’s plans for my life. If I had skipped over parts of the journey the end result just wouldn’t be the same.

This is a lifelong lesson for me. I am a person who does not stop to acknowledge the day to day victories or successes. I experience something good and quickly look to the next step. I am being reminded to slow down and see how my current life is part of His plan. Though I can’t see the things God has designed me for that I am not yet doing or experiencing, I am reminded that these things will come and I am not forgotten.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up – Galatians 6:9 (NIV)