God’s Plan for Us

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

—Luke 12:7

The picture the Bible paints for us is one that lets us know without a shadow of a doubt that we are known by God. He made us with a plan and a purpose in mind. Life has its ups and downs. Sometimes those high points are really high, and sometimes those low points are really low. It’s in those lowest points that we may think that God doesn’t know us or that He is not there for us. Yet, if we rely on God's love for us, He will protect us and bring us through our darkest days.

Maybe you’ve had something devastating happen in your life, or you may experience depression that you think you can never climb out of the depth of your minds. Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” Sometimes, a life tragedy and depression are one and the same, a cause and effect. We wonder if God is listening to us. Is He going to help us? He most certainly will, if you allow Him to do so. Psalm 46:1-3, 7 tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling…The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.”

God knows us best and loves us with fierce and powerful love. We may feel lost at times and without a purpose, but God has a plan for us, which is why He will get us through the toughest of times in our life. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” We may not ever understand the full extent of God’s plan for us, but if we are receptive to putting our lives in God’s hands, then He will guide us through His plan for us. Proverbs 3:5-6 clearly states this, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

I have been watching the science fiction series Babylon 5 for a talk I will be giving. I watched it back when it was on from 1993-1997. The first four seasons were pretty good, the last season was a different story, although there were some good parts. In the penultimate episode, a character records a message for his unborn son to be heard on his twenty-first birthday, which I think is very relevant to today’s post, and I hope you will think so too.

“As you continue on your path, you will lose some friends and gain some new ones. The process is painful, but often necessary. They will change and you will change, because life is change. From time to time, they must find their own way and that way may not be yours. Enjoy them for what they are and remember them for what they were… I really do believe that sooner or later, no matter what happened, things do work out. We have hard times. We suffer. We lose loved ones. The road is never easy. It was never meant to be easy, but in the long run, if you stay true to what you believe, things do work out. Always be willing to fight for what you believe in. It doesn’t matter if thousand people agree with you or one person agrees with you. It doesn’t matter if you stand completely alone. Fight for what you believe.”

—John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) in episode 

“Objects at Rest” from Season 5 of Babylon 5

written by J. Michael Straczynski