I have great plans for today, for the future, and for my life. But those are MY plans, and not necessarily the plans He has in store for me.
As the saying by Neil Young goes:
"The devil fools with the best laid plans."
Have you ever had a plan, a dream for your life, or a dream for others, and those plans don't turn out as you expected? You lose hope, direction and the path for your life?
In the book Discerning the Voice of God, by Priscilla Shirer, she talks about the plans we make for our lives, and how if we aren't careful, slow and diligent, we could be listening to the wrong voice.
Priscilla says, "We are often so overwhelmed and bogged down by activities that are not a part of His plans, we don't have any drive left to participate in the ones that are His will for us to fulfill." In other words, we are so busy with life, that we don't take time to realize He has a better plan/purpose for our lives.
He wants us to slow down and listen to what we are supposed to be learning through the trials and tribulations He has put before us. Don't spend your time wishing yourself out of whatever situation God has placed before us. Rather, open our eyes to see His plan that is already in store for us and even better than we could ever imagine (paraphrasing what Priscilla said in Chapter 12). What message are we supposed to hear to use our trials for His great works?
Priscilla poses the question: "[Will] I join in with His purposes, or [will] I rigidly keep my head down and pursue my own?"
If you don't know what you should be pursuing, God is saying "now is not the time." You don't need to move forward yet. You need to be still. It is not the right time for Him to clarify these plans. You have everything you need from Him at this moment. Be still. Did I say be still? How many times do we need to hear that to finally listen. Listen, wait, be patient...God has a plan.
Don't spend time regretting the past or worrying about the future. What He wants from you today is for you to LISTEN, do what is in front of you RIGHT NOW. AND, BE STILL IF YOU AREN'T SURE YOU KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS. Don't be in a hurry, He WILL show you the way.
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