God’s Perfect Plan

Is there a perfect plan of God for our lives?

I’ve heard many things along these lines through the years.

• “The good is the enemy of best.”
• “Don’t settle for second best in your life.”
• “Compromise will limit your effectiveness and take you out of His Will”

This doesn’t even begin to consider the search for our spouse, the match made in heaven.

With this thinking comes a great deal of pressure and fear.

The implication is that unless we perfectly discern the will of God for our lives we end up in some alternate universe.

We endeavor to crack the mystery through prayer, godly counsel, and the ever-present laying of fleeces.

I literally know people who have been paralyzed with fear of their next decision derailing his Divine Plan. They could not even get out of bed.

This type of theology glorifies man and our choices relegating God to a reactionary deity who can merely throw up his hands in desperation every time we divert to the right or left.

Is following God a complex road map through the maze of life? Are we one misstep away from destroying the dreams of God?

Romans presents a different picture.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

What is good AND acceptable AND perfect.

I read that passage many times.

I am sure I have been told it was not “and” but “or.”

There is an acceptable plan, or a good plan, or if you succeed in this cosmic lottery; the PERFECT will!

I looked it up in many translations. I even checked the Greek.

Not one had the word “or”.
Every version contained the word “and”.

The will of God is revealed through victories, failures, and transformation. It seems a natural outflow of a life with Christ.

Paul formerly said in Galatians, “if you are led by the Spirit (or walk with the Spirit), you will be guided by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)

The author of Hebrews admonishes us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”

There is no fear.
No magic potions or formulas to follow.

Look to Jesus.

If our eyes are on Him, even if we drift down the wrong path, He can bring us back.

Is He God or not?

Or do our well-intentioned but small mistakes handcuff Him to further intervene in our lives?

• Maybe it is harder to escape His will than we think?
• Perhaps he entrusts us with some freedom to make decisions along the way, blessing them as we seek to do our best?

The more I learn about God, the more I think we tend to complicate the simple.

It does us no good to debate the “rightness” or “wrongness” of the past. Instead, let’s focus more time and energy on knowing God and dwelling with
Him, day in and day out.

In doing this, we can walk in fellowship with God and leave the perfect will up to Him.

 photo credit: Tim Green aka a attach via photopin cc