The Plan God Has For You
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
This verse has been allll over my life for the last year or so. It started to pop up very boldly when I found myself in a rough spot, debating my worth and purpose and identity. I was tired of being resilient and felt very defeated. In my eyes, the painstaking work I’d done up to that point felt like it was for nothing. I thought I’d be sick forever, a burden in every sense of the word. I thought my dreams would never come true.
I was so caught up in my losses that I couldn’t see how much God was moving. I was angry at the way He answered my prayers. I had my will and my way and that was all I knew how to see.
He constantly gave me this image of tight fists, encouraging me to let go of the harmful beliefs and false idols I’d stored up for myself. And do you want to know what made the difference this time around? I faithfully listened in spite of myself. I did this because I tangibly learned that no matter my spiritual maturity, I will never be on eye-level with God. In fact, true spiritual maturity comes from the humble posture of knowing that even at my very best, God will see around corners I could never even begin to picture. It isn’t my job to know, to perceive, to hold the road map. I get the easy task- listening and obeying. And I found that whereas that task used to feel like a box and a burden, it was suddenly the most freeing thing I could ever do.
I may have been angry, I may have not understood anything that was going on, but I still sought God and His wisdom and followed His commands to the very best of my ability. I felt like I was drowning for a while, but piece by piece it all started to fall together. And throughout that period of time, God showed me how the previous work we’d done together wasn’t in vain. In fact, it was for the sake of everything He designed for me to inherit. I had more than enough to not just make it through a tough time, but to thrive more and more with the passing days. And I found a sense of intimacy and comfort with my creator that I’ve never known before.
I physically screamed my questions at God knowing that He needed me to, that I was safe to. He wanted all of me, every piece of me, messy and unfiltered. And not for His sake, but for mine. There is no freedom when we edit our prayer life. And as someone who by nature strives for perfection and tidiness, praying in such a way has shown me what it truly is to receive love.
You may ask, why am I sharing this? Firstly, because I don’t share all that much anymore. I have greatly limited my blogs and my words for the sake of speaking when I feel called to and not just because I created an obligation for myself.
Secondly, I want you to know that I’ve been there. I’ve questioned everything, felt God’s radio silence, bought into worldly beliefs and ideas, engaged in things that have drained the life from my soul. I have been stuck in place and had no idea why. And at the same time, God has shown me in every single season of radical transformation that I’ve experienced how all He needs from me is to step one foot in front of the other. He does the rest.
Thirdly, to share some (hopefully) helpful questions and prompts for you to ask yourself if you find yourself at a similar crossroads.
What does your heart desire in the realm of purpose? Is it to be married, obtain a lofty career goal, become a parent, write a book, learn to ice skate in your 40’s? Don’t think about who put the desire there. A lot of times, we demonize the things we are passionate about for a variety of reasons or look at purpose as singular and narrow when it is wide. So I am asking you to trust your own voice here. Don’t ponder God or satan, don’t ponder anything outside of you. Because you just may find that God is the one who placed those desires there after all. He is the creator, satan is the destroyer. What does this mean? That the hopes, talents, and passions written into your soul can only come from God. If you find yourself with vague goals like “I want to be rich” or “I want to be famous,” then look at the deeper feeling. You might truly be desiring safety, security. You may truly be desiring to be seen, to feel safe taking up space. Those are the feelings that help guide you to purpose. So dig deep here, friend- what are they? And is anything blocking you from living into your purpose(s)?
What in your life are you afraid to pray about? Is there anything that you are hesitating to take to God or to community? Compartmentalizing or brushing past in your prayer life? Have you been receiving answers and doing the opposite? I ask all of this because if I were to simply ask you to pinpoint your areas of sin, you may not be able to recognize them. But when you think about it being out in the open, about your mother or spouse or friend knowing the truth, do you still feel comfortable in your own skin or no? There is NO condemnation in Christ. But reconciliation with God is a very regular part of our walk with Him. We learn His unending love and trust Him with more and more as we keep going through the motions of bringing our struggles, dreams, hopes, and doubts to His feet. We slowly learn that there is nothing we can do to alter His unconditional love. There is never an expiration or a deadline, there isn’t an allotted number of chances until we fail out. I never knew how weak my own will was until I was forced to let God revive me a few times. I came to the end of myself on more occasions than I could count until I realized that I didn’t have to anymore. I can start every day in surrender, I can lean on His strength to refill and refresh me. And you can too.
What doubts do you have? What questions? And finally, how do you perceive God? Do you picture Him as an angry father, a distant acquaintance, a traitor, a stickler, as a rule-free and relaxed type? The way we see God impacts everything about our spiritual lives. I challenge you to take a very honest, judgment free look at your beliefs about His character and place in your life. Take note of the feelings that arise. Are you angry, confused, dissociated, apathetic? Invite Him in to whatever space it is, even if it is one of peace and joy. Even for those of us who feel close to God, there is always more to learn and more of Him to discover. Give Him permission to walk into these places inside of us and into the feelings we have about Him and to bring truth, clarity, discernment, wisdom, and restoration. And as He begins to slowly pull back the layers, make note of the people, pains, and experiences that have falsely informed you about Him. Let Him heal everything that has ever stood between you.
What is one thing you could implement to draw closer to God? It could be something as simple as listing 3 things you are grateful for every morning before you get out of bed or every night before you get into it. You can pray them, or if you aren’t comfortable praying quite yet, you could write them in a notebook. You may just find that one day you cherish and remember more deeply the beauty you experienced daily. You may also find that your mindset changes and the glass becomes half-full instead of half-empty. Some other suggestions would be to read a Bible verse every day, which is super easy with the Youversion Bible app. Every day they send a new notification to your phone with a verse. Maybe it is to sign up for a little reading plan within the app if you want something more in depth- there are options that range from a few weeks to an entire year of walking through the Bible. And you can invite friends to do it with you if that helps encourage you! You could start your daily commute with 10 minutes of worship music or silence to fill with prayer. The options are endless and I am happy to help tailor some options to your specific walk with the Lord if you feel comfortable messaging me.
Overall, I just want to encourage you that God has not just a plan for your life, but for your joy and thriving. He has plans to bless the world around you through you. I am going to end with a quick prayer- I send you off with lots of love and grace. Thank you as always for reading and have a blessed holiday season.
Dear God,
I ask that you bless whoever may be reading this right now, that you cover them in your protection and provision. I stand in the gap and ask that you bring them clarity, healing, direction, and wisdom. Reach the places inside of them that are hurting and rewrite their story through your all-knowing, omniscient hand. Break the strongholds that are keeping them down and from living into all of the beauty that you have placed within them. Break the spirit of depression, of anxiety, of trauma. Bring them to the right people, the right community, and the right resources to walk them through any burdens they have been carrying alone. And finally, I ask that you make your love for them too bold to deny. Show up for them in a way that could only be you. Re-write the plans of the enemy and draw near to them, God. Teach us all to pray and to seek your face. Teach us to put one foot in front of the other and to trust you with the rest. In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.
- Lexi Cummings