God Plans His Work - Then Works His Plan
In 1978 Kim and I knew that God was calling us into full-time Christian ministry.
It was a "knowing" that we both shared in our hearts. We took a major step of faith by pulling-up our roots of security; and then, transplanted our lives into fertile, spiritual soil in Tulsa, Oklahoma. God provided a way for me to attend Oral Roberts University, while Kim worked for Oral Roberts Ministries.
Being at ORU was a great experience for our whole family. After my graduation we had absolutely no idea as to what the future might hold for us. God seemed to give us an overwhelming peace about our direction in life and our family’s security. Somehow we just knew that we were doing what He wanted us to do.
As time progressed, so did our spiritual maturity, our ministry focus, and our relationship with Jesus Christ. We knew that God had a “plan” for our lives, and we were willing for Him to chart our life’s course.
Here it is almost 30 years since we began following the Lord, and we still believe God is working His plan for our lives. What an adventure it has been! We have felt much like “Pilgrim” in John Bunyan’s classic work, Pilgrim’s Progress. We have been on a journey that has a destination - an eternal homestead with God.
At times our journey seemed fast-paced; at other times, slow. Sometimes it even seemed that we just stopped moving; but as time progressed, so did the steps of our journey. Over the past years, life has had its ups and downs, but we have remained true to our commitment to follow Jesus. And yes, we have not fully realized all of our personal aspirations in ministry, but we still have hope that God will certainly fulfill "His calling" for our lives.
The best way for me to describe our journey is in terms of a jigsaw puzzle. If the whole puzzle represents the full realization of God’s calling in our lives and each piece represents ministry goals, then I’d say that enough pieces are in place to clearly see the overall picture.
Some of you may be thinking at this point, “You mean that I will have to wait 30 years before I fulfill my calling from the Lord?” It’s possible, and the Bible is full of many examples. But don’t be so consumed or dazzled with the end that you forget about the means to the end.
You see, the journey is just as important as the destination!
Kim and I have learned that "every aspect" of our journey has had purpose and meaning. Every circumstance, every relationship, every life experience has been in accordance with God’s plan for our lives. Oftentimes while in the midst of certain situations, we did not clearly see God’s plan at work. Later on, we would then see in retrospect how God was building character and maturity into our lives. He was planning His work and working His plan.
I have written these words today to offer you hope. God truly has a unique plan for your life. Most assuredly, it will be a life-long journey full of life-changing experiences. Even though you may get tired of traveling at times and decide to sit down and rest, God will patiently wait on you.
And when you are ready to continue your journey, God will be there to chart your course and continually check your progress. When was the last time you checked to see if you are fulfilling God’s plans for your life?
It may be just as simple as to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV).”
These scriptures gave us courage and strength to start our journey of faith. These same scriptures have also helped to keep our hope alive. We have always looked to God as our source of well-being. He has never let us down. He has always been there for us; He will always be there for you!
I leave you with some of my favorite Bible passages:
The LORD Almighty has sworn, ‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand’ (Isaiah 14:24, NIV).
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4, NIV).
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33, NIV).
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).
May 6th, 2007 at 10:42 am
God Plans His Work - Then Works His Plans…
…