Sacred Holidays: A Devotional Leading Up To ThanksgivingSample

DAY FOUR:

The hardest thing about plans is that they are often out of our control. One of my favorite passages about God’s plan is often cut short and we miss the full power of the context. 

Read Jeremiah 29:11-14 and note why God tells us about knowing the plans. 

If I’m going to be totally honest with you, sure, I take comfort in God knowing the plans for me. But it sounded like a bit of a teaser—like the friend who sends you a cryptic message that says, “Hey! I need to talk to you about something important. When are you free?” Um, how about right now? I need to know right now. I have such a hard time when someone says they know something but yet they cannot, or will not tell me.

But this is why I love the beauty of the context so much. Not only does God say to us that He has plans of success and not evil, one that has a future and hope, but He invites us in. He doesn’t stop there with a cryptic message, He continues by telling us so “call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.” Can you believe this? The God of all creation is saying, I know exactly what awesome things I have planned for you, and I really want to let you in on it. So come closer! And guess what? When you try to find me, as long as you want it with all your heart, I will be right there. “I will be found by you.”

And then we learn one more thing about these plans from the New Testament. 

Read Philippians 4:6-7 and note what our attitude should be about plans and God’s ways. 

God tells us exactly how to pray and ask Him—with thanksgiving—which is what this whole plan is about! Then we are told the result from praying like this: “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

As we let God tell us His plans, trust that they are good, and thank Him for them, God’s peace comes and stands guard in our hearts and our minds. This is a good thing, because as I’ve already confessed, our hearts and minds can go a little crazy when we don’t know what is going on. 

Wrap up today by surrendering any plans that you are trying to control too tightly. 

Pray also for God’s will and way in any future plans. 

Today’s song recommendation is: Thy Will by Hilary Scott.