Encouragement for Today
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January 7, 2025 Let God Make Your Plans |
“Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD.” 2 Kings 19:14 (ESV)
Before email and the internet, I was a high school senior collecting printed college flyers and catalogs and stashing them in a cardboard box. After sorting through the contents and picking out the likely possibilities, my parents and I made some visits. Then I made a final decision and asked God to bless my plan.
Once settled on campus, I sensed that my decision — while not exactly wrong — wasn’t quite right. Wiser now, I know it was the whisper of the Holy Spirit. Back then, I didn’t understand, but that uncomfortable feeling sent me back to the box. I selected a different school for the next year.
If I hadn’t transferred then, I wouldn’t be where I am now — not because of the curriculum but because of the people at my new school. A dorm-mate invited me to a Bible study, where I met folks who didn’t ask God to bless their plans; they asked God to make their plans.
In the Old Testament, we find a few kings, priests and prophets who asked the Lord to make their plans. They took their issues into the Holy Place of the temple and prayed, What should we do? Take today’s key verse, for example:
“Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD” (2 Kings 19:14).
When the powerful Assyrians were on their way to crush Jerusalem, King Hezekiah received a threatening letter. The message said nothing could prevent the coming destruction, not even God. Hezekiah prayed, What should we do? The answer came through the prophet Isaiah (read it for yourself in 2 Kings 19:20-37): God had a battle plan far better than anything Hezekiah would have chosen.
If I’d done it Hezekiah’s way, I would have prayerfully sorted through my box in the presence of God. Instead, I worked the problem my own way, using my worldly wisdom, and then asked God for His stamp of approval.
God saw beyond the degree programs, course offerings and cost to what I could not see: relationships, experiences and spiritual growth. God could have led me through a godly adviser (like Isaiah was for Hezekiah). He might have used circumstances. In the end, He worked through His holy nudge in my heart.
To this day, I don’t know if my first college year was God’s original plan or my mistake. Either way, I learned a life lesson that has served me better than any college degree.
When faced with a hard choice, it often helps to list out the options and carefully consider the pros and cons. But may we prayerfully invite the Lord into the decision, spreading it out before Him and asking for His guidance.
Lord God, teach me to bring my concerns to You first, to roll them out before Your throne and ask not just for Your blessing but Your direction. Make my plans. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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FOR DEEPER STUDY
James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (ESV).
Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take” (NLT).
What problems or plans are you working on right now? Carry them into your prayer space and ask, What should I do, Lord? Let God make your plans.
We’d love to know your thoughts in the comments!
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