Plan B?

You’ve probably been in situations, or heard others say when something isn’t going as planned, “Okay, time for Plan B.” There are circumstances in life when having a Plan B is a good idea. However, when it comes to our spiritual journey God does not accept Himself as being a back-up plan.

It’s too easy in our lives to go happily along our way, and run into a difficulty with our first thought being, “what can I do?” When what we attempt to do doesn’t work, we may then tell ourselves that we better ask God about it. A lot of wasted time would be spared if we didn’t treat God as Plan B. When Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (NIV), He did not mean that to be an action when all else fails.

When Jesus saved us from eternal damnation with the shedding of His own blood, He purchased us. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this is Galatians 3:13, Christ bought us with His blood…being punished instead of us (NIV). When you and I purchase something, it belongs to us. No one else has any right over it above our own decisions about it. It is the same with every child of God. When we receive Jesus’s gift of salvation, asking that He forgive us of all our sin, He does so with the greatest of love for us. He then declares that we are His.

Being a part of God’s family gives us direct access to the throne room of God where we may pour out the troubles of our hearts, then wait in the realm of His love as He soothes our worries, instilling peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) within us. Because we belong to our Heavenly Father, we may seek His perfect direction for our lives. He will reveal His unique plans for each of us and lead us along the right paths. His plans are designed in love and with the greatest of care as we are reminded in Jeremiah 29:11, I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope (NLT).

Since God’s plans for us are made in perfect love, why in the world would we consider a plan B? It’s ludicrous, but it’s human frailty at work in our lives. We are constantly fighting between holiness and carnality. We cannot win this battle on our own. How wonderful, therefore, that we have the Holy Spirit of God living within us. He will teach us and guide us and remind us of the beauty of walking in all the ways of God. Thankfully, He also forgives when we stray or when we forget that His ways are the best ways; not some of the time, but all of the time.

Let us take care with the help of the Holy Spirit to never place God on the Plan B list of our lives. He is never a back-up plan. He is the plan for all our days to ensure peace and joy no matter the trials life brings.