You Planned This?

When I was a kid, Fritos had their own mascot. He was called the Frito Bandito. Some of their commercials included the bandito trying to break in to steal fritos. He and his sidekick would go through various gyrations to end up losing, beaten to a pulp, and lying in a heap. At the end of one of them, the Frito Bandito says, "That didn't go like I planned it." His sidekick asks, "You planned this?" Sometimes we want to ask God that question.

The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. (Prov 16:9)

If we examine Scripture, however, it appears that God plans it all.

Many plans are in a man's heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand. (Prov 19:21)

There isn't a day of your life that was not previously ordained.

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. (Psa 139:16)

The Bible is clear that God accomplishes what He intends to accomplish.

"I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2)

And we can be quite certain that it's good.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Rom 8:28)

We have a tendency to think that if we're good little Christians, everything will work out fine. And we try. And often they don't. And we ask -- maybe not consciously, but we ask -- "You planned this?" Think of Jesus who asked, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me" (Matt 26:39) and it didn't. Think of Paul who begged to have a thorn in his side removed (2 Cor 12:8) and it wasn't. Lots of people believed without seeing the promise (Heb 11:13). And we want to ask, "You planned this?"

And He will answer, "Yes, yes, I did. And it came off exactly as I planned ... and it was good."

I need to know that. As we face ridiculous political choices and seemingly insurmountable race conditions and growing immorality and rising anti-Christian sentiments and ... well, you know what I'm talking about ... as we face these things, we need to know that He has the will and the power to accomplish exactly what He intends, even when so many pains and questions and crises loom, to accomplish it completely, and to accomplish good.

Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You. (Jer 32:17)