“Your regulations remain true to this day, for everything serves your plans.”
Psalms 119:91
Plans are good.
I’m hatching one now, in fact. I’ve been working on it on and off for several months now.
I’m planning a Poets Garden.
And one poet I plan to honour is Wordsworth. So I want to plant daffodils!
In order for this plan to succeed, I needed to source said daffodils.
(They don’t just grow on trees in these parts, you know. In fact, they don’t grow on trees at all. They grow from underground bulbs!)
You need to find a source for these springtime beauties that is reputable – not just any old daffodils can withstand the harsh conditions that east central Saskatchewan can throw at them. They need to be able to survive up to -40 degrees Celsius – no mean feat for something that looks like a small onion.
Their growing space needs to be thought out carefully, taking light and soil conditions into consideration. They will bloom earlier than other plants, so they need to be in a spot that is visible. And then, when their foliage is dying back, they need to be in a space where perennials grow in to hide their unsightly dead leaves, or where annual plants can bloom and distract from the straggly bits until they can be removed at a later date.
They need to be dug in deeply. They will need bonemeal and a layer of compost to feed the bulbs after they bloom.
Hence the plan.
God has plans, too.
Right from the beginning, He had a plan to redeem fallen humans after it took them like a millisecond to disobey His only rule.
He had a plan when one human after another broke their covenant with Him.
He had a plan when He deliberately sent His son to be born in a stable, and grow up to become the Saviour who alone could fulfill every broken covenant and redeem us all.
And He has a plan for you.
Imagine.
Imagine a table with a flow chart, and you in the centre – all of your traits and gifts and failures and quirks, all being mapped out with careful deliberation and purpose. Mighty angels are leaning in, nodding in agreement at the marvellous way these plans are being woven into the global story of redemption.
See – God is taking your needs and dreams into consideration as He decides where and how to plant you. He wants to show off your beauty in just the right light, just the right spot, just the right soil.
And everything – even our failures and mistakes, can be woven into that plan, to create the circumstances which alone can draw out our best for His kingdom and provide us with the right skill set to be useful and bring Him glory.
A Poets Garden of heavenly proportions, if you will.
Plans are good.
Especially when in the hands of a good God…
Trust the plan with me?
Father, how delightful to imagine You drawing up plans for us that will develop us into the people You always desired we would be! Help us to draw close enough to Your heart that we will trust that these plans, even when they include hardship and defeat, are drawing us ever closer to Your goals and dreams for us. Amen.
Growing in Grace 