"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." - Proverbs 19:21
Seems like I have this conversation a lot. What about you?
It goes like this. "I just never dreamed that my life would turn out this way."
That's it. That's the conversation.
In the vein of today's Bible verse, the person is saying, "My life is ruined from here on. And I can't envision it being anything other than a bummer from here on out."
At this point, we all have two choices for what we might do. We can leave the person where they are, namely, drowning in disappointment. Or. Or. Or. Or we can both acknowledge their disappointment and also speak a word of life and a word of hope and a word of truth into the situation.
For example, we might say, "I know things are hard and hurtful and disappointing right now, but I also love you enough to tell you that God is going to prevail over this. God is already even now taking this situation and using it for some kind of good."
Oh, that doesn't sound like the way you talk? Well, then say it like you would say it. Because here's the deal gang. We live in a world that is full of people who see things going in a way they never dreamed. In our world. In our nation. In our politics. In our cultural belief in marriage (or lack thereof). In our cultural acceptance of things that God plainly says are forgivable, to be sure, but also plainly says are not beneficial. To anyone.
The world is a mess, and "I just never dreamed that the world would turn out this way."
Well, I, for one, am not buying it. The rest of the world may have plans for the world to go down the tubes based on the way it's going. But I'm not buying it.
God promised to do something about it. He did do something about through Jesus. And the last time I looked, Jesus' tomb was still empty. And the Risen One lives in my heart and many other hearts. And the hearts that haven't let him in yet, well, he's like my 13 year old son ringing the daylights out of the doorbell until somebody let's him in!!!
God reigns! Period!
So. Come what may today. I don't know what you're planning on. But here's what I'm planning for. God's gonna prevail. Period.
And the reason I believe it. And the reason I'm gonna plan on it. Is because God loves me and you enough to tell us that he doesn't care what we're planning on. His plans are better.
"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19:21).
Plan on it!
And while you're at it, Praise God!
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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