GOD'S PLAN

WEEK 3 on the sidewalk:
In our culture, we decide so many things for ourselves...We decide where we are going to work, where we will live, what we will buy, what we will eat, and even what Starbucks drink to order. Everything is available to us. There are some people who are not as 'fortunate'...some do not know how they will get their next meal or when they will get the next paycheck. But I wonder if they are really less fortunate when their situations cause them to more readily see their dependence on the Lord. Whether we realize our need for Him or not, God is ultimately the one with complete control over our lives. Actually everything is only available to us because God allows it.

We also decide when we will start our families and how many kids we will have. I was shopping at Target the other day and passed the aisle that said 'Family Planning.' What exactly does this mean? And there is 'Planned Parenthood.' The words sound so nice and positive, but really they missing something...Where is God in all these plans? Are we getting so good at planning our families that we don't need God?

If there was a 'family planning' aisle in the Bible, it would consist of ways to seek fertility, instead of today's 'family planning' methods, which have more to do with avoiding or ending new life. The Bible shows how fertility was a blessing from God and how infertility and avoiding pregnancy was never part of His plan.

*God blessed Abraham and said He will multiply his descendants beyond number.
(Genesis 26:24)
*God promises His people food, water, and no illness, miscarriages or infertility.
(Exodus 23:26)
*When Onon avoided creating an heir for his brother, God considered this evil and took his life. (Genesis 38:9-10)
*When Sarah lied about being Abraham's sister God cursed the land with infertility.
 (Genesis 20:18)
*God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply.
(Genesis 1:28, 9:7)
*Jeremiah prophesied that God said to multiply and not dwindle away.
(Jeremiah 29:6)

I wonder what it would look like if our culture completely turned the family planning over to God. Would we still use birth control or other ways to avoid conception as much if we allowed God to do the planning? Our culture says it's okay to end a pregnancy if it's not in our plans. But what does God say? Have we forgotten who creates life?

We may make our plans but it is God who directs our steps. May we allow God to light our path and not close our eyes to a culture that doesn't honor or respect life.

Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.