A Change of Plans

 

Scripture

 Isaiah 55:8-9

⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.  (NRSVUE)

 

Jeremiah 29:11

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.  (NRSVUE)

 

Devotion

Earlier this week, my doctor gave me some unwelcome news.  In order to address some body issues and get me back on track to certain goals, she wants me to try avoiding grains, dairy, and beans, and eat more meat.  I was.... displeased.  I love rice, beans, pasta, and cheese.  What's more, I prefer to eat very little meat.     Basically, I am going to flip my meal planning upside down.  

This was definitely not what I expected to happen when I went into my yearly checkup.  At the same time, it is clear that my own dietary plans are no longer working the way I want them to work.  My doctor, meanwhile, is a professional who spends every day assessing how patients' diets and exercise affect their health.  I trust that she has a better understanding of the way my aging body right now than I do and that her plans are for my welfare.  And so--even though everything within me rebels at the thought of replacing my rice and beans with chicken and ground beef--I've agreed to give it a try for a month.  At that point, she'll sit down with me and assess how things are working.

 As I clean out my fridge, adjust my meal plans, and write out a new grocery list, I can't help but think of how God's instructions are sometimes as deeply unwelcome as that of my doctor.  We know the direction we want to head in, and the plans we made to get there worked for a while...but then--seemingly out of nowhere--the Holy Spirit upends everything and sends us in a new direction.  It turns out that our thoughts were not God's thoughts; our ways were not God's ways. We can intellectually acknowledge that God knows best, but we still chafe at letting go of our way of doing things to follow God's plan.

At times like these, the best thing we can do is trust that while the changes God is making in our lives may feel unwelcome or even nonsensical, they are for our own good.  Once we have that basic trust established, we can agree to cooperate with God's plans for a while--even if we remain deeply skeptical of God's plan.  If we do our best to lean into God's plans and really try them out for a bit, we eventually discover that God really did know best and the changes we had to make really were for our welfare.  And when things still aren't working out the way we necessarily want, then God will be there to listen to our prayers as we reassess what is happening and try to discern Christ's will.

The next time you realize things aren't going according to your plans or you feel the Spirit pulling you in a new direction, I encourage you to do three things.  First, be honest with yourself and God about your plans.  Second, reminds yourself to trust that God knows best and is working for your welfare.  Third, try rolling with it for a while.  For God's plans will be accomplished.  And we can save ourselves a lot of stress and anxiety when we put our trust in the one whose ways are higher, wiser, and better than ours.

 

 

Prayer

God, help me to trust in your plans...especially when they are unwelcome or  run counter to our own.  May we always remember that they are for welfare, and that you are giving us a future full of hope. Amen.