plans

“God has only plans, not problems, for our lives.”

Has this been your experience?
If you are anything like me, you have probably come across many problems in your lifetime. Life can be running along smoothly, and all of the sudden you get slammed by a problem and find your normal gets snatched.

From a very human standpoint, problems are just a part of life.

If you asked me to describe my experience of 2017, I could recount a plethora of problematic predicaments to you without hesitation. Honestly speaking, it’s been one of the most spiritually, emotionally, and mentally difficult years to date.

If you asked me to describe my experience of 2017, I could recount a string of profound blessings and mercies to you — without hesitation. Truthfully speaking, I do not know if I have ever been so humbled by the grace of God and the love He lavishes upon me so undeservedly.

God has only plans, not problems, for our lives.

Your ability to receive, internalize, and stand on a statement like this, depends on your point of view.
Are you looking at life’s challenges through a magnifying glass? Because if you are, you, like me, will find it all too easy to recount the problems of the last year. And whatever problems you recall — broken hearts, disintegrated dreams, disappointments, lost opportunities, rejection, health challenges, personal loss (I’m sure the list could go on) — friend, these are all real and legitimate.

But the truth is, God does not look at our lives through a magnifying glass. He is so personal that He is fully present in every moment of our lives. But He is also so eternal and sovereign that He sees the big picture.

It is cliche to the ears and eyes attuned to the words of Jeremiah, “God has plans to prosper and not to harm you,” I know.
But however cliche it may seem, it is nonetheless a gloriously undiminished reality for those of us who are in Christ.

Corrie ten Boom was known to frequently say, “God has only plans, not problems, for our lives.” To give you some context, she was put into a concentration camp during the Second World War for hiding Jewish people in her home. She was the only person in her family who survived WWII. After she was released from the concentration camp, she travelled the world sharing the gospel.

I will not miss much about 2017. I am ready for it to graciously become a memory. And as the unknown of 2018 approaches, with a trembling and hopeful heart, I take courage from Miss ten Boom. God has only plans, not problems, for my life.