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GOD HAS A PLAN

If  you look at-the world,
And you really care:
Bout all of the suffering,
You could almost despair.
There is one thing, we must understand.  God is still God:
God has-a plan.

(God Has a Plan as sung and written by Joel Hemphill used by permission)
 
  • To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. 9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? 10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. 11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. Eccl 3:1-11 (KJV)

"Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)", often abbreviated to "Turn! Turn! Turn!", is a song adapted entirely from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible (with the exception of the last line) and put to music by Pete Seeger in 1959. Seeger waited until 1962 to record his own version of it, releasing the song on his "The Bitter and the Sweet" album on Columbia Records…The lyrics are taken almost verbatim from the book of Ecclesiastes, as found in the King James Version (1611) of the Bible (Ecclesiastes 3:1), though the sequence of the words was rearranged for the song…Wikipedia.

Is it reasonable to assume that if God did create the world and the universe (and he did), it would be at the very least comforting to know that in the midst of all the confusion  surrounding the world, GOD HAS A PLAN. All of His creation factors in to that PLAN. Some might find such a concept to be a stretch, but I believe it is true. Peter the apostle of our Lord was quick to remind those who have a problem with God’s plans for the future to "be mindful of words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour,". See 2 Peter 3:2.
 
  • For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:5-7 (NASB)
Peter suggests that we not loose our handle on history. God was involved before the flood and he will continue to be involved in the future. Deny that if you will but just for a minute consider the results if you’re wrong.

James reminds us, Acts 15:18 "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world". He has things organized in his mind. As the apostle Paul contemplated the unfathomed God he wrote to the Romans. Especially note Paul’s statement: “From Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” Rom. 11:36

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!34 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD , OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?35 Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever . Amen. Romans 11:33-36 (NASB)

It might be good at this point to put things in Moses’ perspective:

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. 3 You turn man back into dust And say, "Return, O children of men."4 For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night. Psalms 90:1-4(NASB)

Our God was Adam’s God. Our God was David’s God. God gave birth to the earth. It all emerged from his mind through his word; i.e. “and God said.” Moses tried to put it in human terms. From everlasting to everlasting God is God.

God said to Adam, “Dust thou are and unto dust shalt thou return.” Genesis 3:19. Our lives stretch only to include our generation, but God has been man’s dwelling place in all generations. To help us understand it Moses said “a thousand years in God’s sight are like only yesterday when it passes by.” He CAN and he DOES have a plan. 

God awakens our understanding through Isaiah the prophet:

"Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'.”  Isaiah 46:9-10 (NASB)

God’s own assessment rings out and begs our review. He alone is able to declare the end from the beginning. He has a purpose. There is a grand reason. The better we understand his purpose and seek to bring pleasure to him through the way we live, the more our lives will make sense. To understand that purpose we must go to The Book. Therein is revealed the mind of God.
 
**********
 God has a plan
He’s working it out.
He knows how to fix it,
There is no doubt.
His wisdom and power, 
Are greater than man.
There’s comfort in  knowing;
God has a plan

(God Has a Plan as sung and written by Joel Hemphill..used by permission)

Most of us, seem to think that God, as he observed the mess that Adam and Eve made, quickly putting together a plan of redemption. Don’t cut God short. GOD HAS AND HAS HAD A PLAN. When we are understand that God has intent we are being reminded of his design for the future and are invited to be a part of that grand design.
 
  • And to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,  Ephesians 3:9-11 (NASB)
  • As a builder has a blueprint:
  • A traveler marks his map and
  • A doctor contemplates an operation
  • Even so God has a plan

Things might appear to be willy-nilly and helter-skelter at times. There is a purpose and God knows what it is and chose in due course to share that intelligence with his creation. This enlightenment he has chosen to preserve for his creation through his documents found in the Bible.
 
  • The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, "Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, 26 "This is the plan devised against the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations.27 "For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?"  Isaiah 14:24-27 (NASB)
As human beings, when our creative juices start to work:
 
  • we conceive,
  • we plan,
  • we design,
  • we draft,
  • we sketch and diagram.
We are able to do that because we are part of God’s creation. He created us in his image. He designs so we design. He plans so we plan. That is why we have automobiles on the highway: planes in the sky: and a computer on our desk. The list goes on and on. How much planning had to be done to create the solar system? Alas "who has known the mind of the Lord?" Rom. 11:34. God planned it and created it. He formed it in his mind before ever it was a reality. The Creator of the universe confronted Job with these questions:
 
  • "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,5 Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?  Job 38:4-5 (NASB)

God allows us to understand how he thinks through what he has revealed to us in the Bible. He wants us to know at least a small  portion of his design. The Bible gives us a glimpse of his sketches for the future. I am reminded of this message to the Corinthians:

But just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD , AND WHICH HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN , ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” I Corin. 2:9-10

When he was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah God said: Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?  Gen. 18:17. Why should I keep from Abraham what I am going to do? God had a plan and he wanted Abraham to understand what he was about to do. This gave him time to remember his nephew Lot, and perhaps breathe a prayer on his behalf. It gave Abraham time and opportunity to intercede for the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. 18:23-33. God has not kept from us what he will do in the future.
 
  • Surely the Lord GOD does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7 (NASB)

The prophets got the message from God and other human beings got the message from the prophets. God then sees that we get the revelation so we might know what he is up to. We truly serve a wise and benevolent God; our Heavenly Father. God revealed prophecies to us not to make us prophets to help us to be ready for what he has determined to be done. Consider Peter’s words:
 
  • "But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, 21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. Acts 3:18-21 (NASB)