"From Challenge to Change to Courage...God's Master Plan" for your Life!
Lesson 2
by Sharon Leaf
NOTE: I've been told that blogs are to be short and to the point. This is not my normal blog. For the next few weeks I'm writing a Bible study that can be used as your personal devotions ... in a home group setting ... anywhere! So grab a cup of java (or tea), relax and read away ...
Part 1 ~ Lack of faith
Our lack of faith sometimes hinders us from thinking that God can actually speak to us. We must accept--by faith--that He will direct us. We must let go of our own plans and let God show us His plan for our lives. There are days when I've walked right past moments that I could have responded to a request from above. Too busy--must hurry to get home. Sound familiar? Life can become so much more abundant when we surrender to His voice.
Proverbs 16:9 says, In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. We are on a journey with God. Understanding God's will and our will is an important concept in knowing when to act, and when to wait.
God places in us a desire for what He intends for us to do. We are incredibly preprogrammed to become what fits into His master plan. Nursing, engineering, writing, and painting can all be professions that bring rewards. God not only cares about our destination, He cares about our steps along the journey. When I decide to go to Utah from South Carolina to visit my brother there are many ways I could travel. God wants to have the right to direct my travel. Why? He has planned many miracles--big and small--along the way that ties into His master plan for my life. The more I seek His plan, the better my journey goes. Whether it's a day trip or a move from the west coast to the east coast--that's what I did fourteen years ago--He wants to direct our path.
It took Rob and I two years after our first visit to the Carolinas for God to say, Okay, now is the time to move. And by the way, we had no idea why we were leaving California--we often said that we would never leave (We have since discovered why). We flew to South Carolina and toured houses for three days and we ended up buying the first house we looked at! Why? Because we felt that God had chosen the brick house on the pond before we ever made the plane reservations! Question: Are you planning a trip? A move? Do you want miracles along the way? Don't take that trip or make that move until you've bounced it off God first because He has some strategic plans for you.
The bistro in our first home in Fort Mill SC. The mural was identical to the canal that runs through Uppsala, Sweden where we once lived. Coincidence? I don't think so. "Le Artist's Studio" was my happy place where I wrote my first novel, Lady and the Sea and invited my artistic friends to join me.
Part 2 ~ God is a Problem Solver
I don't know anyone who at some time doesn't have a problem that needs solving. In the Psalms, David described God as Sovereign, which means to solve. What is so beautiful about waiting on the Lord is that you find yourself reacting more than acting. As I wait, He brings the solutions right into my hands. For instance, three months after Rob and I moved to Fort Mill I still hadn't started the process of looking for a part-time job. Since I had worked for Target in Huntington Beach, CA for several years, I went to the Charlotte Target kiosk to input my application--several times--with no response.
As I was having coffee at a nearby Books-A-Million, I looked around and thought, I love books, and I've always wanted to work in a book store. Without hesitation, I submitted my resume online and didn't think anything else about it until I received a phone call the next day asking me to interview with their area manager. She wanted me to consider working as her extended arm in the opening of the new Books-A-Million--just 10 minutes from our house! I accepted and she received approval for that position that same day! I'd be working thirty-two hours a week and I could choose my days! Why was that job so easy? I believe that God had that job waiting for me in His perfect timing. Question: What are you impatient for? If you want to see God's hand in the matter, be still and continue to rest in Him, and He will bring it to you, in His perfect timing.
Part 3 ~ Day planners anyone?
Or I should ask, who doesn't have one? (smart phones do count) Our lives are busy with family, friends, jobs, and errands galore--and we must fit that hair appointment in somewhere! God loves to deliver! He loves to please His children. He loves to see His plan come together in the lives of His children ... it's part of His master plan for us.
Have you ever placed your calendar aside for God's plan? He only wants to know if you're available. That's when the divine appointments come along, when we go with the flow. What flow, you ask? The flow of events around us that are not crafted by our hands. God is the scheduler, searching us daily to know how available we are. If God only cared about us accepting His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior, He would not have promised to direct our path. Proverbs 3:5 says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Are you willing to give Him control of your schedule, a little, a lot, or completely? Why don't we take this week to give God's perfect plan a try ... I'm all in! Are you?
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