FROM THE DAWGHOUSE….
GOD’S PLAN FOR MY LIFE
Truth be told, I think most Christians ask themselves at one time or another, “Have I messed up God’s plan for my life?” We wonder, did I pursue the wrong career or attend the wrong college? Did I pull up roots and leave when I was supposed to stay? Am I part of the wrong church, or did I marry the wrong person? The list could go on and on and on.
Indeed, what if I accidentally alter God’s plan for my life?
Despite getting amazing biblical teaching from Pastor Pete and others each week, I think many of us at Forge nonetheless imagine Christian life to be something like walking on a tightrope. Feeling we’re perpetually in danger of falling from God’s will, and that any sudden move or wrong turn could send us plummeting.
Even worse, we might fear God has serious consequences tucked behind certain doors if we choose to open them. We’re afraid He might punish us for making the wrong choice.
Praying about this very subject, I recently felt the Holy Spirit telling me that these ill-conceived thoughts stem from a desire to live my life from God’s perspective rather than my own finite perspective. In other words, I want to know His entire blueprint for my life, from cradle to grave; Don’t you? We want to peruse the pages of His special book, where each of our days is recorded in precise detail before they come to be. Consider Psalm 139:16 – Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
In short, we want to be omniscient, which, of course, we aren’t. Indeed, we should be happy that God has given us finite minds and limited knowledge about our future, for it allows us to experience His mercy and His grace. We need to know and believe that the Christian life is not a tightrope. That with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the center, life is a very wide, forgiving road.
In today’s world, we say something is forgiving if it allows for errors and mistakes. We might refer to a bicycle seat as forgiving if it prevents us from feeling every bump. People say black is a forgiving color because of the way it masks stains.
God’s will is also, in a sense, forgiving.
As the psalmist prayed, “You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip” (Psalm 18:36) and “I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding” (Psalm 119: 32). Said differently, the Lord has not placed us on a tightrope. He has given us a wide place to walk, a place where we take steps with confidence and our legs aren’t in constant danger of buckling.
We exercise Christian freedom in the wideness of His mercy (check out Galatians 5:1). We live in Christian wisdom under the watchful gaze of His grace. What keeps us on track is not our ability to read God’s mind, but His ability to shepherd us despite our feeble attempts. Our sins cannot derail His plans. Our poor decisions cannot alter our destination. In those moments, He has ordained His forgiveness to keep us on the path.
Yes, like sheep, we do tend to go astray (Isaiah 53:6). But for sure, Christ’s mercy and grace are not a license to sin or to pursue our own selfish desires. No, as the flock of God, we walk through the wide place following the Shepherd’s voice (John 10:27).
It’s amazing to me how Christians who fret about God’s will for their life are the same ones who fail to consistently read their Bible, commit to a church, or join groups like Forge. Of course, they feel afraid! They’re not hearing the Shepherd’s voice in His Word. They’re isolating themselves from his flock (Proverbs 18:1).
As we walk the wide way, the Shepherd continues to summon us to follow Him as we read and study the Bible. As we seek to glorify God in our daily decisions, brothers, and sisters in our churches, and at Forge, will also help to keep us from going astray.
My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand (John 10: 27-29).
There’s no decision you can make that will snatch you out of Christ’s omnipotent hand. Rest on that good news.
Blessings for 2024!
Joe Bouch, FORGE Winter Springs
