God’s plans for you are not only good, but they are for you to live your best life!
“You have done many things for us, O Lord our God;
there is no one like you!
You have made many wonderful plans for us.
I could never speak of them all—
their number is so great!”
– Psalm 40:5 Good News Translation
God is a Master Strategist!
God is a master at strategy, and He plans for our good well in advance! His plans are for us to live vibrant, purposeful, victorious, and abundant lives. In fact, the Bible says that He planned our days before we were born (Psalm 139:16), and that those plans are good, never evil, and are to give us good futures (Jeremiah 29:11). That is truly great news!
Consider the story of Esther: a young (secretly Jewish) woman thrust into a beauty pageant to become the next queen of a Gentile kingdom. She not only won the contest, but the heart of the king as well. Was this her best life? Absolutely: Esther was chosen out of obscurity and placed in a position of power and wealth! Talk about a real-life Cinderella story!
However, there were enemies—even in this place of favor and blessing—who had devised a plot to kill every Jew in the kingdom. After she was made aware of the evil plan, although she had been shown great favor, Esther was afraid to go before her new husband to plead for her people. Without a specific invitation from the king, she could very well end up dead!
For Such a Time as This
Yet her uncle Mordecai told her, “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14, emphasis added).
God had orchestrated a perfect plan for this Gentile king to choose a Jewish girl as queen to save His people from genocide. He knew before the beauty pageant ever took place that the Jews were facing annihilation. Yet, He arranged for the one person who not only could change the heart of the king, but who would! His planning is more intricate than we can ever imagine.
If I Perish, I Perish!
So, how did Esther respond? Did she say, “Oh, no way! I’m not risking my life, and my position for this!” No, not at all! Instead, Esther replied, “Go, gather all the Jews…and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:16, emphasis added).
Esther determined in her heart that the plans that God had prepared for her were not only worth living for, they were worth dying for as well! What faith it must have taken for her to go uninvited before her king. Yet, that is exactly what she did! Her courage and obedience not only resulted in the salvation of the people of God, but also the complete destruction of their enemies!
Finding the purpose for which you were created, and learning to walk in it, brings you into the most fulfilling and successful life you could ever live. However, these plans are not merely for your own benefit. Making a positive impact in the lives of the people you encounter, throughout your journey with Jesus on this earth, is really something worth living—and even dying—for! Our 8-part series entitled The God Plan will help you discover the plan God has for you, so you can live that amazingly fulfilling life!
The God Plan
You don’t have to be perfect for God to choose you. There’s never been anyone who was perfect – except Jesus. He sees you differently than the world sees you. God chose you, and He has a plan for you, and it’s good!