Plans & Purposes

Many are your plans, but it is God’s purposes that will prevail. Do only what He commands you to do and align your desires with His. 

“After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest..he said…Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent…the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house…did I ever say…Why have you not built me a house of cedar?…I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone…I will provide…and will plant…the Lord himself will establish a house for you…I will raise up your offspring…He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish…I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him…For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it know…How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you…God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders You have established your people…you have promised these good things to your servant.” 2 Samuel 7:1-28

David takes a moment to breathe and consider how blessed he is. The fighting around him has finally stopped, he has a place to live, food to eat, and is humbled by how generous God has been to Him. Can you relate? Have you taken time to consider all that God has done for you today? 

An interesting thing happens in that moment. David realized he had not done anything for God compared to what God had done for him. So he decided he should build a house, but God said I did not ask you to build a house. Have you ever done what David did? Is there anything you are doing now that God did not call you to do? Do you have any desires that are not from God or for God? 

Truth is revealed in this text. Truth tells us that we are all part of much bigger plans at work. God’s plan for all creation and God’s plan of redemption. God resets our thinking. He tells us that it is not what you have done, but what He has done and is doing.  Solomon said changing your perspective is the beginning of wisdom. What is your mindset today? Where is your heart? Are you focused on your plans or God’s plans? Are you free to walk in your own kingdom identity or are you comparing yourself to others feeling the need to do more than God has asked you to do?

“If the Lord had not been on our side…the raging waters would have swept us away. Praise be to the Lord, We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”  Psalms 124:1-8

Do you live as though God is with you and for you? Many people do not. Be honest. If you believed it is true that God is with you and for you, why would you ever fear anything? Nothing negatively impacts our lives more than fear. The question is not whether we have fear, but how fear is affecting us. God wants us to unlearn our fears and learn to live by faith that He is faithful.

David declared truths that shaped every day of his life. He believed that God is the one who made us, helps us, and makes all things work for His purposes. Consider what Jesus did on the cross and how the words 'the snare has been broken and we have escaped' carry even more meaning. Where do need help from your Maker today? Do you believe He is with you and for you? Are you feeling trapped in any snares?

“Desire without knowledge is not good how much more will hasty feet miss the way! A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord. A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass. Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life, but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die. Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done. Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death. A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty; rescue them, and you will have to do it again. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:2-21 

Think about what Solomon said here. Desires not in alignment with God, that do not have the knowledge to see how they fit within God’s purposes are not good nor pleasing to God. Think about David and how he desired to build the house, but God never asked him to do it. Even desires that might sound godly might not be good if they are not done according to God’s will. Solomon adds a subtle caveat here. He said do not be in a hurry.  

So often we hurry. When we are in a hurry, it is hard to take time to listen to God’s voice and understand if our desires align with His. Hasty feet cause more harm than good. How is hurry impacting you? Do you feel pressure to perform or accomplish your own plans? 

This passage contains wisdom and reveals God’s heart. Solomon said overlook offense just like God does.  Solomon said the life pleasing to God keeps his commandments. Solomon told us to be generous, just as God is generous, particularly to those in need. Solomon said discipline those you love just like God disciplines you. Can you see the pattern? Solomon told us all the ways that we can learn to walk in alignment with God. He taught how God’s purposes can become our purposes. 

The challenge comes when you examine your heart. Are you willing to let go of your own desires that you might live a life pleasing to God? Jesus said the light came, but people preferred the darkness to the light.  

“Cross over to Tarshish; wail, you people of the island. Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are renowned in the earth? The Lord Almighty planned it, to bring down her pride in all her splendor and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.”

Isaiah 23:6, 8-9 

Solomon said in proverbs that the Lord discipline the one He loves. He called us to do the same that we would not be a willing party to the death of others particularly of the people we have the most influence over. God talked to each of the people of these cities, as though they were his own children. Why? Because He cares. 

If you look at this text in light of a disaster that has come upon a city, it could seem like a harsh punishment. But, it is important to always remember that redemption is part of God’s plan. Discipline and sometimes disaster is what it takes to bring us back home. God is not trying to torture people, He is working to get them to turn to Him.  Redemption can not happen when people are still running away. Where in your life is God working on you to turn? If we start with the basic premise that we all fall short of the glory of God, then we all need turning. 

“Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander…Jesus left there…Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people…I do not want to send them away hungry…His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was four thousand” Matthew 15:1-38

How do you respond to this passage? What words of Jesus stand out to you? Does your heart respond to the challenge of not following tradition rather than what God commands us to do? God calls us to love like Jesus and live in accordance with His ways. It is so easy to turn our beautiful relationship with Jesus into routines and rituals. Where have you fallen into rituals or been pressured by tradition? Have you found yourself criticizing other people like the Pharisees? It is easy to point out where others fall short, but we all need God’s mercy. 

Jesus challenges our desires. He said that it is out of your heart that every evil desire comes.  He gives a list, but the truth is the list is endless of unloving desires that can creep into our hearts. Consider for a moment the greatest fear that is currently affecting you. Is it true or false? Does God want you to feel this way or carry this burden? If not, why are you?  

The passages today point to a God who is present, protects us, provides for us, and whose purposes will prevail. The story of feeding 4000 is a perfect example. God said I have compassion, I want to feed them. At no point in this text does He say I want you to feed them. He does ask what they have, then He multiplies their offerings.  

The disciples immediately turn God’s words into their own to do list like David tried to do in Samuel. Jesus never told the disciples that they needed to feed the people. He said he would feed them, but within their hearts the disciples allowed fear and the pressure of the moment to shape their thinking. They were hasty and in a hurry to do what Jesus said. They did not realize God will do what God wants done. He takes their small supplies and satisfies every person. There is no way that the people could have come up with a plan to feed everyone apart from God doing what God does. There is simply no way that we can do life without His help. 

Like David said our help is from the Maker. We are all part of his triumphal procession and plan of redemption. God wants to free you from a life of unnecessary worry and hurry. He calls us, He equips us, and He does the work through us. Be who He made you to be. No more, no less. You don’t need to be wealthier, more educated, more spiritual, more physically capable, nor anything other than who God made you to be and do what He has already gifted you to do. 

The command most important to Him is to love like He does. Faithfully and generously. Humbly and with compassion. So listen to His voice and look to Him. He already has a plan, you have a part to play, but that part is within His purposes.