Not Part of the Plan

“Oh LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.”
Isaiah 25:1

Something incomprehensible happens - children are cut down at school, someone opens fire in a movie theater, a plane full of people disappears or a tsunami, tornado or earthquake wipes whole communities and hundreds of people off the face of the planet. Inevitably, someone trying to make sense of the whole mess says something like “guess it’s just part of God’s plan.” What, really? 

When God finished creating this amazing universe and world we live in, He said it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). The Hebrew word translated very means greatly or exceedingly - we could say it was perfectly perfect. James writes: “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:16-17). It is not God’s plan that children should get gunned down. We humans managed to muck up God’s creation and ever since that first bad choice God’s plan has been to restore our world and us to it’s perfectly, perfect state. 

What I do know, is that in the midst of the horrendous things we experience He is there with us. He understands pain and loss. He can, will and does use these kinds of things to draw back to His perfect plan. 

His plan carried Him from the majestic throne room of heaven to a simple manger in Bethlehem to a rugged Roman cross and a cold tomb. His resurrection turned that same rugged cross into a bridge from death back to life. 

We will face terrible things in this life. Some of those things will be the direct result of our own selfish choices. Many others will be simply the results of living on a fallen world. But God’s plan was to create a perfect place for us to live and love in always and His plan will restore us to that perfect place and He will once again say it is very good.

A Prayer
Father, forgive us when we muck up your plan for us. Thank you for being with us in the midst of the hard stuff of life on this planet. Give us the strength we need to lay down our selfish desires so we can cross over the bridge You built as part of your perfect restoration plan. In the name of Jesus who built a perfect bridge from an old rugged cross - Amen.