Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan

We can't always see what God is up to. But can't we assume He is up to something good?

Joseph faced disaster on a global scale. It had been two years since the last drop of rain. No rain meant no farming. No farming meant no food. Yet Joseph knew God was still God in the crisis. So he faced the crisis with a plan. The plan could fit on a post-it note. "Save for seven years. Distribute for seven years. Manage carefully." Could it have been any simpler? Could it have been more boring?

Some flamboyance would have been nice. A little bit of the Red Sea parting, Jericho's walls tumbling, or was dead Lazarus walking. A dramatic crisis requires a dramatic response, right? Hmmm...not always.

Seems we equate spirituality with high drama: Paul raising the dead, Peter healing the sick. Yet for every Paul and Peter, there are a dozen Josephs. Steady hands through whom God saves people. Joseph never raised the dead, but he kept people from dying. He never healed the sick, but he kept sickness from spreading. He planned his work and worked his plan. And because he did, the nation survived. He triumphed with a calm methodical plan.

In the end it's not the flashy and flamboyant who survive. It's those with steady hands and sober minds.

You prefer a miracle for your crisis? You'd rather see the bread multiplied or the raging sea turned calm with a finger snap? God might do that. Then again, He may tell you, "I'm with you. I can use this for your good. Now let's make a plan." Trust Him to help you.

Believe that Jesus is who He says He is; that He can do what He says He can do; that you are who He says you are. You can do all things through Him! 

No comments:

Post a Comment