“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11

I had a great experience last night.  I was invited by some of the ladies at our church to attend a pottery class.  I went and soon found myself molding and shaping this gray little lump of clay.  As I was working, I was imagining what it would look like when I was finished:  a beautiful blue serving bowl with intricate designs and shapes.  I began thinking about what I would actually serve in it, and what occasions it would be used for.  I think that is human nature, to look at the possibilities in front of us and imagine the way something will turn out.

You know, God is like that too.  Before we are ever created, He has a picture of us in His mind: what we will look like, what we will do, and what we will become.  Just like that pottery, God sits down and envisions us before He ever begins to create us.  

Have you ever considered that notion?  I don’t think our society, or even our churches, encourage us to seek God’s plan for our lives on a large scale.  When making major decisions like, college majors, marriages, careers and such, no one has ever said to me: “You should pray and see what God has to say about that.”  And what a shame, because wouldn’t it be great to know that every decision we make could be the right one if we only consulted God first?

For many of us, this is a foreign concept, asking God’s to lead us into our decisions.  So I am challenging you to consider heavily over the weekend what effect this might have on your life.  Are you in the middle of a big decision – move, life change, etc?  Or are you making seemingly inconsequential decisions right now – vacations, Christmas gifts and such?

What ever is going on in your life, I urge you to make a habit of asking God, “Lord, what would you have me do?”  And be willing to wait for the answer.  I believe this is the path to blessedness, and I hope that each one of us is able to walk it on a daily basis.  Because I believe it is here that we will find ourselves directly in the middle of God’s perfect plan for our lives.  What a life!

Heavenly Father,

You lay out a path before me.  Help me to see it clearly.  You have a plan for my life.  Help me to discern what it is.  You have a lifetime of joy and peace for me in the midst of Your Holy presence.  Give me the wisdom to seek it.  And give me the humility to live it out daily and put my own ambitions aside.

In the name of the Son who died for me,

Amen