Praising And Thanking The Lord For His Awesome Plan And Purpose!
Even though I know it’s not considered good manners to tell people it’s your birthday, I can’t very well share what’s on my heart today without saying it’s my 53rd birthday…AND THE PAST YEAR WAS THE BEST AND MOST AWESOME YEAR OF MY LIFE! And I fully expect life to just keep getting better each and every year from here on until the Lord calls me home! However, to fully appreciate the wonder of such a statement it’s necessary to acknowledge that in the natural realm, things didn’t look so good, because during the last year I continued standing for my marriage, my husband ended up marrying someone else, I lost my best and dearest friend, my vision got a lot worse and my finances appear worse than ever…BUT THE LORD BLESSED ME WITH THE REVELATION OF HIS AWESOME PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE! And NOTHING beats that! In fact, it seems strange to write about all of those things with so little emotion, because they really don’t hurt or matter that much now and they seem to pale in comparison to all of the awesome and amazing things the Lord has done in my heart and life this past year, and what I’ve seen Him do in the hearts and lives of so many other women. There are times when I’m so much in awe of all that I see the Lord doing almost every day, that it seems unreal, and it often seems impossible to contain! The Lord has been so good to me this past year simply because of my willingness to be obedient when I finally discovered the purpose for which He had always been preparing me. And that’s the work now being done in this ministry, through which my relationship and walk with Him has grown in ways I couldn’t even begin to imagine or express, and which often make me feel overwhelmingly blessed!
The point of sharing my experience is to encourage everyone standing for marriage restoration to realize that God always has a very specific purpose for our lives, and that purpose is not thwarted or hindered because of the problems we’ve experienced in our marriages. In fact, it may well be ONLY as a result of those problems and our desperate need to reach out to the Lord that we finally discover what HIS plan and purpose for us is. I think that’s why the Lord has really impressed upon me lately the great significance of Ephesians 1 as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, particularly verses 9-12, which say And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. That means that as Christians, even in ALL of the painful and terrible experiences we encounter as we endure the trials of separation and divorce, there’s glory in it for Jesus Christ somewhere. And when we start looking at our situations from that perspective, it’s hard to believe how much it totally changes our outlook and attitude. One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 8:28, which says 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. But that does not apply to us just as individuals, because there are many passages of scripture that make it very clear that our witness and testimonies affect and edify others and that they can be comforted and encouraged as the result of what we ourselves experience and learn in such difficult times. But it’s very significant to note that we have that assurance ONLY WHEN we love the Lord and are called (acting and living) according to God’s purpose, which is further confirmed in John 14:23, which says Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. So understanding that God has specific plans for us is very important, because Jeremiah 29:11-12 says 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. And the real significance and importance of seeking and responding to God’s purpose for ourselves as individuals is confirmed and clearly stated in Exodus 9:16, which says But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. And I can personally testify to the fact that once we find that purpose and respond in obedience to it, we will experience peace, joy and an awesome sense of fulfillment that can’t be measured or beat! And we’ll see and experience the power of God in our lives as NEVER before! And one of the most important things to remember about God’s plan and purpose, is that HE will do ALL that it takes to make it happen, just as He told us in Isaiah 46:11, which says From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. So as we consider the awesome significance and blessings of finding God’s purpose for our lives, and being obedient once we determine what it is, the following verses will give us a better understanding of what that means:
Psalm 33:11
But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Psalm 57:2
I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me.
Isaiah 14:27
For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
Isaiah 46:10
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.
Jeremiah 23:20
The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand it clearly.
Romans 9:17
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
2 Corinthians 5:5
Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Philippians 2:13
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
2 Thessalonians 1:11
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.
So be blessed and encouraged as you seek the Lord’s plan and purpose for your life, with assurance and confidence in His faithfulness to reveal it when you ask, because finding the work God has uniquely gifted and prepared you for is one of the most important and rewarding things you’ll ever do. And if you still question or doubt that the Lord has a plan for you, that you were saved and called to fulfill a specific purpose, just read Philippians 3:10-14, which says I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Pressing on Toward the Goal Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.