We need a plan. “Plan” is one of those words that rests well in our minds. If a plan turns into a schedule, we resist; but as long as it is a plan, we can anticipate hopefully.

Ever hear somebody say, “God has a wonderful plan for your life?” God does have a plan for our lives, but too often when a person tells us that, we feel like we are being set up.

God does have a plan, and it is wonderful because it is His plan. But let’s be more specific.

In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah 29:11, we read one of the most comforting passages in all of scripture: “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

The promise of a good plan that will bring us to a desired outcome will cause us to follow anybody who can articulate a course of action with clarity.

They were God’s plans. Plans to prosper, plans to give hope. In this instance, God’s people were being prepared to be released from Babylonian captivity and return to Jerusalem. God had wonderful plans.

God’s plans have always been perfect. He put Adam and Eve in a garden with everything they needed. There was only one way to mess it up. They found it, did it, and God had to move them out of the Garden of Eden to a place that had more difficulty. God’s plan was not foiled; it was merely changed. God continued to work with Adam and Eve.

What about us? Is there a plan? Yes. First of all, God wants us to come to him through Jesus Christ. Belief in Jesus Christ and the work that he did on the cross in our behalf brings us into a right relationship with him. After we come to God through Jesus Christ, God desires to mold us and make us into what he wants us to be.

Our lives may not feel planned, and if they are planned, some of the troubles we have cause us to question what God is up to. God does not promise us a trouble-free life, but he does promise to be with us. His presence guides us and comforts us.

Romans 8:28 declares, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

“All things” means everything. God is working in every facet of our life. In all of this, there must be an undying trust and love of God. We must believe he will accomplish what he has planned. God is committed to our good.

God’s purpose is to make us like his Son Jesus. Jesus was humble and obedient. He fulfilled every purpose of God.

What is God’s plan? That we love, trust, and humbly obey him. He will deliver the desired outcome. His purpose will be fulfilled.

The Rev. Dan Puckett is a minister with Life Action Ministries.