Stick to the Plan

As my daughter walked out the door in route to take the SAT test last week, I yelled to her, “Have fun!” She stopped in her tracks and gave me the look that makes me cock my head to one side and think, “What did I say?” I learned very quickly that my daughter does not share my enthusiasm for standardized testing. In my mind, driving to the high school campus on a Saturday morning and spending hours challenging myself to get the highest grade possible was kind of “fun.” I’ve always been one who loves a challenge.

Occasionally along the path God created for me, I forget the enjoyment I find in overcoming obstacles. Every so often, a season comes along that tests every promise the Lord has given me. Almost like clockwork these seasons occur immediately after a strong wave of God’s peace settles over my life. If the peace is strong, the wave of tests flows through just as strong or stronger. Even though I know the routine, I look back and see that I don’t pass with high achieving scores every time. I see where I let discouragement and fear encourage my response to the tests even though I know the promises the Lord gave me.

Just recently, the Lord shined a little extra light on my path and gave me clarity in my walk. He revealed parts of His plan I hadn’t seen before, and a weight lifted off me so powerfully I could literally feel it in the natural. I knew tests would flood in, but unlike the ACT and SAT I took in high school, the excitement for the upcoming challenge lacked severely. I found myself dreading the pressing. As I dreaded, I didn’t realize I was pushing the peace away. I needed the peace to consume the already existing pressures. God wanted to take my existing negative thoughts and questions, but by my apprehension caused them to intensify. For the first time in many years, fears and hang-ups I thought were long-gone began to rise up.

For days, I questioned how I could go from feeling such a powerful peace to feeling like a giant hot mess. Finally, in prayer, the Lord hit me with Eph 5:8-9, 14 (NLT) “For once, you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So love as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. …for the light makes everything visible… This is why it said ‘Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give You light.’” God filled me overflowing with revelation and magnified the light in me to shine on my path. He made everything visible. Then, I flinched and squoze my eyes shut waiting for the punch instead of getting excited to watch God’s plan unfold. By dreading the upcoming tests, I shut my eyes to the light which opened a door to the darkness of my past.

When I finally opened my eyes, the darkness fled and the Lord followed up with Hebrews 10:36 (MSG), “But you need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion.” Stick to the plan, Danielle. There will be obstacles and the Lord will overcome them. If I try to avoid the obstacles, I will miss out on seeing the promised completion of God’s plan for me. There will be plans here on earth that I see come to completion, and there will be an ultimate plan completed the day I this flesh dies- eternity with the Lord. I don’t want to miss out on any of it.

Jesus, show me how to keep my eyes open. Remind me that Your plan is what’s best for me, and that seeing it to completion will not only grow me, but Your kingdom as well. Keep pressing me to share my experiences in watching Your plans come to completion so that others will be comforted knowing You will do the same for them. In Jesus Name.