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God Has a Perfect Plan

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lam, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. (Mark 14:12-16)

In these verses we find Jesus continuing to do the miraculous even as He approaches His death. Describing to His disciples in exact detail what they will discover as they to prepare for the Passover, Jesus proves yet again His omniscience. Jesus gave these disciples step by step directions, guiding them so as to teach them to depend upon God’s specific plan. Our God has all knowledge and all control of the future. These verses remind me of a passage in Isaiah:

“Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isaiah 46:8-10)

This is an important lesson for us as well! We are told in Proverbs:

“We must have a continual regard for God’s providence, must depend on it in all our affairs, both by faith and prayer. We must therefore trust in the Lord with all our hearts; we must believe that he is able to do what he wills, wise to do what is best, and good, according to his promise, to do what is best for us, if we love him, and serve him.” -Matthew Henry

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Human wisdom at best is flawed. When we lean on our own understanding, disregarding the Lord’s way, we will most definitely suffer loss. His way is so far above our own it is like playing in the sandbox when we could be running on the beach!

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

It is no wonder, therefore, that King David pleaded with the Lord as he waited for God’s deliverance:

“Whoever desires to do the will of the Lord, and prayeth earnestly for instruction, shall certainly know his will. But he must not be wise in his own conceit, nor lean to his own understanding, nor expect that the wisdom or learning of this world will explain the things of God. He must not seek to reconcile the word to his lusts, but combat his lusts by the word. In short, he must come to Jesus for instruction, with the same simplicity of mind as a child comes to learn its letters; and not come for a month or a year, but sit all his life at the feet of Jesus, to receive instruction from him. Lord, make me jealous of myself; enable me to go in and out with prayer, and keep me from all errors that may hurt my soul.”
-K.H. Von Bogatzky

Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. (Psalm 27:11)

“O God, never suffer us to think that we can stand by ourselves, and not need Thee.” (John Donne)

“We as Christians know that faith is taking God at His Word. And we realize that faith does not get us around our problems, but it gets us through them. Such a promise is found in Psalm 48:14, ‘For this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even to death.’ His promise then is no matter how difficult we may find life to be, He will guide us all the way home. Isaiah 42:16: ‘And I will bring the blind by a way they know not. I will lead them in paths that they have not known.’ This is the way God leads His own. You and I are blind to the future, but He is not, and He has promised to lead all who will put their trust in Him. Sometimes, because our circumstances are totally out of our control, we not only have to believe these promises, but we must put them to the test.” (Wales Goebel)

Take It to Heart

God’s continuous activity is always working in our behalf–always for our ultimate good and His glory.

“God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.” (Hudson Taylor)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

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