Does God have a plan for us?

Armistead14

Newbie
Mar 18, 2006
1,430
61
✟9,449.00
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
Often on FB I see people posting about Gods favor and his plan. People will say everything happens for a reason; will work out for good; not to worry about tomorrow.

One girl I went to school with has been posting lately in despair for prayer and help. Seems her marriage has issues from a mentally ill husband and they are losing their home. She posted that she felt God does have chosen people and she isn't one. She often goes on long pity pots about her life. The typical responses are God is working a plan for her, pray for miracles, etc. She refused to take action to move, sell their home and now she is being evicted in the morning and didn't start packing until today. She said she claimed her house and believed in a miracle...IMO, she is wanting someone to bail them out. Course many post God is working his perfect plan out.

This brings me to a more serious story. A wonderful dedicated believing couple I know is having it brutally hard. The husband had a severe stroke at 48, basically leaving him disabled and needing around the clock care. This was about 18 months ago, very little improvement. Course they lost his income, she was a stay at home mother that schooled her kids at home. They basically lost everything and now live in a small apt that the church pays for. Worse, a few months ago the mother was dx with cancer and now told less than a year to live. She is struggling to find care for her husband and teenage daughters. We have started a fundraising campaign for them. On her FB page it's much the same, God is working a plan, pray for healing, etc. She confided to my wife her faith is all but broken. How do you explain to her this is Gods plan or will?

I think my belief is God doesn't have some perfect plan. Bad things happen everyday to Christians, they suffer severe crimes, disasters, disease and often it never gets better and we die like all others. Christians die in 3rd world nations by the thousands from mere starvation. This seems to contradict that God will supply all our needs, protect us, heal us....and a plan for us. IMO, Gods plan is he gives us tools to deal with the harshness of lifes issues, seldom fixes them.
 

graceandpeace

Episcopalian
Sep 12, 2013
2,985
573
✟22,175.00
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Democrat
I think my belief is God doesn't have some perfect plan. Bad things happen everyday to Christians, they suffer severe crimes, disasters, disease and often it never gets better and we die like all others. Christians die in 3rd world nations by the thousands from mere starvation. This seems to contradict that God will supply all our needs, protect us, heal us....and a plan for us. IMO, Gods plan is he gives us tools to deal with the harshness of lifes issues, seldom fixes them.

I generally agree. I don't think there is an individualized specific plan for each person. I do believe in a general plan of redemption for humanity & all of creation, but as long as we live this side of resurrection we will face sickness, trials, & death.
 
Upvote 0

Emmy

Senior Veteran
Feb 15, 2004
10,199
939
✟50,995.00
Faith
Salvation Army
Dear Armistead14. May I tell you what I sincerely believe? God gave us His Commandments, and now after our Lord Jesus has died and paid for our transgressions, and GOD HAS RAISED HIM AGAIN, the two Commandments:
1) Love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds.
2) Love our neighbour as ourselves, tell us how to live. We know that God has given us free will, God will not force us in any way, UNLESS WE ASK GOD. We all have our own plans, and God will not interfere, UNLESS WE ASK.
When we do take a wrong turning or go wrong, God will gently correct us.
But until we sincerely ask, God will not interfere. There are times when God will lead us, but it is only when it all fits into a specially great plan,
like rescuing the Israelites from the openly resisting Pharaoh. But generally we have free will. I say this with love, Armistead. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.
 
Upvote 0

fhansen

Oldbie
Sep 3, 2011
13,887
3,526
✟320,837.00
Country
United States
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Often on FB I see people posting about Gods favor and his plan. People will say everything happens for a reason; will work out for good; not to worry about tomorrow.

One girl I went to school with has been posting lately in despair for prayer and help. Seems her marriage has issues from a mentally ill husband and they are losing their home. She posted that she felt God does have chosen people and she isn't one. She often goes on long pity pots about her life. The typical responses are God is working a plan for her, pray for miracles, etc. She refused to take action to move, sell their home and now she is being evicted in the morning and didn't start packing until today. She said she claimed her house and believed in a miracle...IMO, she is wanting someone to bail them out. Course many post God is working his perfect plan out.

This brings me to a more serious story. A wonderful dedicated believing couple I know is having it brutally hard. The husband had a severe stroke at 48, basically leaving him disabled and needing around the clock care. This was about 18 months ago, very little improvement. Course they lost his income, she was a stay at home mother that schooled her kids at home. They basically lost everything and now live in a small apt that the church pays for. Worse, a few months ago the mother was dx with cancer and now told less than a year to live. She is struggling to find care for her husband and teenage daughters. We have started a fundraising campaign for them. On her FB page it's much the same, God is working a plan, pray for healing, etc. She confided to my wife her faith is all but broken. How do you explain to her this is Gods plan or will?

I think my belief is God doesn't have some perfect plan. Bad things happen everyday to Christians, they suffer severe crimes, disasters, disease and often it never gets better and we die like all others. Christians die in 3rd world nations by the thousands from mere starvation. This seems to contradict that God will supply all our needs, protect us, heal us....and a plan for us. IMO, Gods plan is he gives us tools to deal with the harshness of lifes issues, seldom fixes them.
We're all chosen in one basic sense: to come to know, love, and serve God. He calls, but we don't have to come, however. Either way we're here to learn some very hard lessons: that God exists, and that we need Him. This is called faith. And it doesn't happen all at once; faith, and it's offspriong/counterparts: hope and love, should grow in strength as they're tested throughout our lives.

A most grueling aspect of the lessons we need to learn is that they involve the knowledge of good and evil. Adam, who foolishly ate of the fruit of the Tree of that name, sent humnakind reeling into a world where the evil of human pride/self-righteousness/opposition to God's will would be literally known, along with the good inherent in His creation. But we're obstinate; we're attracted to our own ways, to the lure of the world, to the continued rerbellion (sin) that Adam set in place as our family tradition-not 100% convinced that God's ways are better for us.

But man needs communion with God, apart from Whom he can do nothing. We're not here to be gratified; we're here to learn what Adam didn't know: that there is no ultimate gratifcation without God. And as we come to increasingly hate the world, as Jesus tells us we should, as its enticements hold less and less sway, then we may begin to run to the good, alone, the Good who waits with open arms to receive us like the prodigals we all are. And as we re-enter communion with Him, growing in the virtues of hope and, most importantly, love, then we know His will in greater detail: doors are opened to serve Him as we should. Hard lessons all along the way tho.
 
Upvote 0

Emmy

Senior Veteran
Feb 15, 2004
10,199
939
✟50,995.00
Faith
Salvation Army
Dear Armistead14. Yes, God`s Plan for us is given in Luke 10: 25-28:
Jesus is asked by a Lawyer: " Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus tells him: you know the two Commandments to Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind? The Lawyer answered Yes, Love God with all your heart, with all you soul, and with all your mind.
Then Jesus answered Yes, DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE. God wants our love, freely given and NO conditions tagged on. We are told in Matthew 7: 7-10:
" Ask and ye shall receive," we ask for Love and Joy, then thank God, and share all Love and Joy with our neighbour. ( all around us) We keep asking and thanking God, then share all Love and Joy with our neighbour. God will see our sincere loving efforts, and God will Bless us. We might stumble and forget at times, but then we ask God to forgive us, and carry on loving and caring.
A Christian`s great weapon is Love/Charity, and with love we can overcome all obstacles and wrong behaviour. God is Love, and God wants loving sons and daughters. Jesus our Saviour will help and guide us: JESUS IS THE WAY.
That is God`s overall plan for us, and there are times when God chooses us to do special work. But then God will guide us lovingly and carefully.
I say this with love, Armistead. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ. P.S.The Bible tells us: " Repent," and " Be Born Again." We give up all selfishness and unloving behaviour, and love and care instead. In time we will turn into the men and women, which God wants us to become.
 
Upvote 0