Prayerful planning for the sake of the call

I'm thinking about plans this morning. I'm looking through my notes about plans. I'm praying about plans.

Do you have one?

As part of yesterday's sermon, at the close, I quoted Jeremiah quoting God the Father. Remember this wonderful part of Jeremiah's 29th chapter: "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

So, God has a to-do list? Wow.

God has a way. He plans things, too. In Ezekiel we read: "Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and set to Uriah the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction."

See, I happen to think Jesus' coming was part of a tremendous plan on God's part. I happen to think that Jesus' coming again will be part of grand plan of the Father, a plan that is known only to him, a plan in which heaven comes to earth.

Sometimes our plans don't work:
David said to his people, "I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it."
Job said, "My days have passed, my plans are shattered."

And sometimes they do through effort and prayer and God's power:
David wrote, "May he give you the desire of your heart and make all of your plans succeed."

But here's the wonderful idea of the morning. His plans (HIS PLANS) always work perfectly. Our plans (OUR PLANS) many times do not.

The Bible tells us, "But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever; the purposes of his heart through all generations."

This morning I have written the things I want to accomplish this week. They might, and I stress the word might, be taken care of this week. Or they might be done this month. They might even be done.

But the celebration will have to wait, I fear, for the times they include possibility not assurance. In other words, I will try, but I know that I might slump into failure. However, if I follow Him, then the chances of success go up immeasurably.

Here is the plan, then. I'll make plans, I'll pray for those plans, I will then mark off them as accomplished.

I will abandon everything, then, for the sake of the call. I will pray with confidence. I will ask Jesus to increase my faith to the point that those plans are bathed in that same confidence I prayed with.

So, my first item on the to-do list is to write the Monday blog... See, this works.