GRACE WHISPERS – FROM THE BOOK “MY RETURN HOME TO INNOCENCE”

God’s Unwavering Plans for Us

 

 Grace Whispers Chapter 1: I know the plans I have for you. I created you to be loved and adored by Me and My precious Son. You may feel you don’t fit anywhere in the world; you are right because you fit only in God.

 

Do you remember the scripture found in Jeremiah Chapter 29 verse 11? God told the children of Israel through Jeremiah in verse 10, because of their rebellion and disobedience, they were captured by the Babylonians and would live in captivity for 70 years.  But, Jeremiah continues with comforting words of hope from the Lord and said:

 

“For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years [of exile] have been completed for Babylon, I will visit (inspect) you and keep My good promise to you, to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ¹²Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you.’ (Amplified version)

 

When we think of those words, “I KNOW the plans I have for you,” we often think of God’s plans in our lives only as being rosy, sweet, over the rainbow kind of life, filled with joy, peace, laughter, and smooth sailing. We imagine life as being our little utopia where God is the one who makes everything perfect and there will be no pain or sadness… we really believe this. If anything negative or painful enter into our little perfect world, we panic and we want it gone! We will do anything to keep our lives stress free and just perfect to our own satisfaction. We sometimes get angry with our Father or our Lord when they don’t answer our prayers to keep our little world ‘sweet and fluffy.’ Unfortunately, we have been reading too many fairy-tale books or watching too many romantic dream-world movies. But that’s never what our Father promised us. Life isn’t always like that, matter-of-fact life can be painful and overwhelmingly hard sometimes.

 

In the Bible, we read the stories of our brothers and sisters who endured great hardships, emotional, and physical challenges, yet, our Father whispers into every one of His children’s hearts, “I KNOW the plans I have for you.” Let’s just reflect on a few of them:

 

 Joseph– Sold into slavery by his own brothers because of jealousy, but God used his captivity and imprisonment to save and rescue a nation from starvation.

 

King David – A shepherd boy, hunted down like an animal by his father-in-law King Saul, and later on his own son, Absalom, to kill and destroy his life. Yet, he was one of the greatest kings who ever lived and was loved immensely by our Father and by others.

 

Paul– Rejected, stoned, and imprisoned by his own people. Yet, Christ lived His life so awesomely through our brother to write the majority of the New Testament which feeds and restores the souls of humanity through the ages.

 

Jesus – No words can express all that our Lord encountered at the hands of His own people and how He is still being rejected by His own creation throughout the ages. Yet, His one solitary life became the freedom and joy of our souls forever!

 

As I reflect on the lives of my brothers and sisters before me, I realize I have never encountered a minute amount of persecution and rejection because of my faith in Christ like them. I was never burned at the stakes or imprisoned for my faith. But, like my predecessors, I had to learn how to ‘endure hardship as a good soldier’ and ‘fight the good fight of faith.’ I had to learn to embrace the challenges and struggles in my life appointed by our Father for me. As you recall in my book, I had to persevere through my own painful and heart wrenching experiences of my journey. And, through it all… I NOW KNOW IN WHOM I BELIEVE AND I KNOW HE IS WELL ABLE TO KEEP ME UNTIL THE DAY OF HIS RETURN OR WHEN I GO HOME TO BE WITH HIM!

 

 

The Father’s plans for me and the Father’s plans and will for you is… CHRIST HANDLING LIFE THROUGH and FOR US! Because life will entail pain, suffering, confusion, distractions, offenses, and rejection… He promised us we will. Jesus overcame it ALL for us! He knows how to handle life… we don’t without whining, complaining, murmuring, or be overcome by it. Our Father also promised us I AM IN YOU and I AM WITH YOU to go through it all victoriously if you WILL LET ME HANDLE YOUR LIFE FOR YOU.

 

In our Father’s amazing plan for our lives, we can rest and take comfort knowing our Father wants the best for us and above everything, He wants our spirit, soul, and body to be whole and healthy as we allow Christ’s Life to rule and reign through us.