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Does God Have a Plan for My Life?
| It is a common and
attractive idea that God knew us before the foundation of the world and
has a specific plan for each step of our life. There are verses like
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.“ (Ps
116:15) that seem to support this view. However, there are also
times such as when God was comforting Elijah who thought he was the
last one left when God tells him he has 7,000 people left he could use.
One might ask if God had a plan for each of us, to what end would he be
planning. If he would be trying to improve our character, teach new
skills, or correct wrongs, the manipulation of circumstances seems to
be a very inefficient way to do this. It often leaves even those who
subscribe to the “God runs everything” view wondering what is happening
to them and why.
On a comparative basis one might wonder why God would seem to favor one
person over another in terms of ease, wealth, health, and
circumstances One might assume that the favor of God was
different and that some were not as favored as others. The question
then arises as to why the differences. This then expands into why did
God create man in the first place if everything was only going to turn
out the way he planned?
The free will view of creation might be seen as a way for God to make
creatures who have the ability to make choices. It might be considered
as planting a crop and looking to harvest those who exercise their
choices to seek truth, even valuing it above themselves. These would be
those who upon hearing the gospel would recognize it as true and
something in which one could trust. The every event planned view would
see that by prodding individuals with pleasant and unpleasant
experiences, God could goad them into the direction he wanted them to
go, but what that might accomplish seems vague.
It can feel comforting to think that God has a special affection for us
individually and to think that our marriage, job, and health are all a
result of God working to bless us and give us a good life. However, we
should not confuse feeling good with truth. Many Christians suffer.
This can leave someone thinking they are being punished for some
unknown reason. Many pagans were also mystified why the gods would give
them difficulties. One might wonder why Christians should have the same
perplexities.
We might see a degree in randomness by verses like “God sends rain on
the just and the unjust” (Matt 5:45). While God may not control and
direct every event in life, this does not mean he is restricted from
acting, particularly in answer to prayer. Seeing the events and
circumstances of our lives trying to divine signs and portents of what
God might be doing may not be the best way to mature in faith and grow
in Christ-likeness. One can tend to be fearful in uncertainty and tend
to look at the law for Israel and try to conduct themselves according
to that instead of transitioning from the selfishness of the flesh to
the selfless love of Christ-likeness that walking by the Spirit can
achieve.
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at
the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are
temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
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