God's Plans

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 

Jeremiah 1:5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” 

God knew us before we were born and had a design/plan for our lives. He has good plans for everyone of us!  

Sometimes we make choices that take us off the direct path to our destiny.  Sometimes we rebel against what we know/believe God is calling us to do. 

Jonah 1:1-3, 15, 17 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish. Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. 

When we fail to follow God's lead and rebel the consequences are usually not good. When we repent, however, God always gives us another chance and helps us set out in the right direction again. 

Jonah 2:1, 10 Jonah 3:3 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach. This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. 

I'm not sure about you, but I don't want to be whale vomit. If we only realized how much our Father loves us. Even though the path may be riddled with briars and thorns, we can trust him because he wants what is best for us. He wants us to prosper and be unharmed. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 

We must put our trust where it belongs, not in our money, education, reputation, jobs, etc. but in God. When we do and we submit our ways to him, he will get us on and keep us on the right path.