Stay Salty

God Has a Plan For I know the plans I have for you, they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 (New Living Translation) Some of us have lived long enough to have had times where we’ve been able to look back and think, “Oh that’s why God did that!” Sometimes we’ve not had the privilege of knowing for a long time what that plan is, and there are some things we may never know this side of heaven. One thing that I know for sure is that God always has a plan. He is continually writing our stories, sometimes despite our choices! One of the foundations of my walk with the Lord has been believing that God always has a plan. His timing might not be our timing, but it’s always the perfect time! When my daughter Jessica showed me an ultrasound picture early in her second pregnancy, I was expecting to see one tiny little blob of a life just beginning to develop. When I took a second look, I was shocked to see three blobs. In my mind I thought, “Is this what I think it is?” There were three tiny little lives living inside the womb of my precious daughter! How could this be? God what in the world are you thinking? Triplets? As I began to process what this would mean for her and her little family, the enormity of it began to unfold in my mind - this is going to change everything in our whole family! That still, small voice of the Holy Spirit kept whispering, “God has a plan.” I was full of fear for my own child and how this would affect her but still the whisper came, “God has a plan.” Jeremiah 29:11 says, “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. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you.” I love the last part of that verse where He promises us that if we look for Him we will find Him. When we lose someone we love… We will find him! He has a plan! When a child that we have loved and nurtured goes astray… We will find him! He has a plan! When we are betrayed … We will find him! He has a plan! When we are disappointed… We will find him! He has a plan! When things happen that we don’t understand… We will find him! He has a plan! I could go on and on as we all have situations in life that are just, well, hard. My dad passed away at the age of 66 after suffering terribly with cancer eating his body away. I can remember sitting by his deathbed and praying God, I don’t understand why this is happening, but I do trust your plan. His whole plan in that hasn’t yet been revealed to me, but I do see some of how God has worked through it. We might not always see the plan, but God is always working and we can trust in Him and His Word. Psalm 33:11 NLT says, “But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.” Believing in His plan isn’t always easy! There can be times when it will take every ounce of faith you have to believe there is a plan but keep pressing on and trusting! I have found through many of my own fumblings in faith that His plans and His ways are always intentional, and HE IS FOR US! “We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone,” Psalm 33:20-22 NLT, I’m grateful to sing on our worship team. Musical worship is one of my greatest passions and I think often about the lyrics we sing. Some of the songs we sing resonate with this idea of trusting God’s plan. I love these lyrics from the song by Elevation Worship, Give Me Faith: GIVE ME FAITH to trust what you say. That you’re good and your love is great… I may be weak but Your Spirit’s strong in me, my flesh may fail but my God You never will! Kelli Ragsdale