Jeremiah 29:11 is a very famous verse. It says, “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.” There is so much reassurance in this verse, there is so much hope we can hold onto – God, the God who created the universe, has GOOD plans for ME! It is right to feel peace and hope in the good plans God has for each of our lives. But what does it require of us?
I am reminded of my 6-year old son, Luke, who has great plans for his life to be a firefighter. And my 3-year old daughter Grace has plans to be a doctor. Those are good plans for their lives, plans that could lead to hope and a future, but whether they are part of God’s plans or not – we will have to wait and see. The reality is, in America, we have so many choices and so many opportunities. We are asking our children what they want to do and what they want to be from the time they are 2-years old. But are our own good plans for our lives God’s good plans?
In my own life, I have been a planner, goal oriented, and an achiever. Since I was young I had no issue running after things in my life or reaching goals. This eventually caught up with me though. You see, if we want God’s good plans for our lives, we have to lay down our good plans for our lives. We live in a culture filled with opportunities to make ourselves happy or take matters into our own hands. But God can’t use a controlling achiever, or a controlling person who is addicted to finding things to make them happy (success, TV, alcohol, material possessions – whatever it may be). God can only use someone who is submitted, heart, soul and mind (Matt. 22:37).
Our definition of “good” and God’s definition of “good” are not the same. Why? Because God is the one who defines “good”. He is the true source of GOOD (Ps. 100:5, Ps. 107:1, James 1:17, Rom. 8:28)! So we can only know good in our lives by drawing closer to Him and allowing HIM to move and orchestrate HIS goodness in us.
I personally reached a point in my life where God got a hold of me and revealed to me that I had been controlling the plans in my life. They weren’t all bad, in fact – some of the things I wanted to control was the timing of certain callings God had on my life. But the problem was I didn’t have a completely yielded heart to what HE wanted and WHEN HE wanted it. If I didn’t relinquish control of HIS plans – many of HIS good plans would not come to pass. It doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us and won’t care for us, but it does mean that he can’t use us in the way He would like to. And it means that we are stubborn and controlling people. Ouch.
You may not consider yourself in that category, but if you haven’t relinquished control to God, then there is some element of stubborn control in your heart. Not good. We saw what happened to the Israelites trying to get to the promised land when they became a stubborn and controlling people, it ended up taking them much longer to see the promised land! The same goes for us. The longer we hold on to our own ideas, expectations, wants and desires and try to control our lives – the longer it takes for us to see God’s goodness and the promised land He has for you.
My husband John and I went through a season of God teaching us this very lesson. We had to submit, we had to yield. Truthfully, it’s not always easy. We had to stop trying to control everything or “make things happen” – which had been a pattern we had lived for a season. But, it was actually during that time of brokenness and submission before the Lord, yielding to His plans, that He began to reveal to us the pastoral call on our lives in a significant way. We knew that He was leading us to completely lay it down before Him, not work at making it happen in any way, but completely trust Him and His timing.
From that place of submission, God did bring about His plans – in a way that we could never have imagined. As we recently stepped into the lead pastor position at our local church, it was unexpected and not how we had anticipated or would have planned, but that made a way for us to see that it was so clearly HIM orchestrating, His hand on it. And it was WAY BETTER than we could ever have planned for our lives. You see, God loves to surprise and delight us with His goodness in our lives – when we are submitted. And it’s in the season of waiting that we learn true trust in Him – that’s all He’s asking for. SUBMIT your heart and TRUST me for my goodness.
Sweet sister, I want to encourage you that this is a process. But He is with you in it! And once you see the fruit of God’s goodness spring up in your life after you have laid down your own personal ambitions and plans – you won’t look back. I will testify, His plans are SO much better than ours.
Have you been waiting to see God’s good plans unfold in your life? All it starts is with an honest prayer. God I lay down my expectations, my plans, and I ask for yours. Then it takes action on your part. Not the kind of action you may be used to, but an active action of submission. Not to try and move mountains on your own, but to keep actively laying down and trusting Him. It’s the opposite of what we normally think the word action means, but in order to keep allowing His goodness, we have to actively be submitting.
I promise that you will begin to see Him move in your life! Stay in His Word, come before Him with thanksgiving and praise, and spend time with Him. The God that holds the universe in your hand loves you and controls it all – release to Him the control over your life – he truly does have GOOD plans.
Pray with me…Jesus, I release control over my life. I don’t want my good plans, I want YOUR good plans. Lead me and help me to continuously submit and yield to you. Amen.
