Dear Church of the Open Bible,
What are your plans for the summer? Maybe they include traveling, camping, hosting family, etc. Have you put them in your calendar? I was chatting with a friend this week and we shared a mutual concern that if we didn’t book some holiday plans soon, the days would just fill up on their own. And they are! But even our best-made plans can be frustrated in an instant.
Last week, we considered the foundational truth of all reality that there is only one God and we are not Him. He alone is in control and, as Creator, He alone determines the purpose of His creation. This too, can be tough for us to swallow at times, surrendering to His plans and not ours. Let’s go back to Isaiah 45 and consider some of His purposes.
“Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it.” - Isaiah 45:5-6
Here we see God’s purpose to bring about righteousness and salvation on the earth. They are even pictured as raining and growing according to God’s control as Creator. These designs and plans of God are further fleshed out in the pages of Scripture, but the question for us today is whether they are our designs and plans?
Our calendars are perhaps one of the most sacred areas of our lives. We can use them as an attempt to avoid that foundation truth, scheduling as if we have control and determine the purpose of our lives. Or we can use them to reinforce that truth, aligning ourselves with God’s plans and purposes, pursuing righteousness and salvation in our lives. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make plans this summer. But it does mean considering how our plans might intentionally fall under His plan for us and others.