Quotes about Plan

We deliberate not about ends, but about means.

Why the delay? Why does God let evil and pain so flagrantly exist, even thrive, on this planet?...He holds back for our sakes. Re-creation involves us; we are, in fact, at the center of his plan...the motive behind all human history, is to develop us, not God. Our very existence announces to the powers in the universe that restoration is under way. Every act of faith by every one of the people of God is like the tolling of a bell, and a faith like Job's reverberates throughout the universe.

Virtually every passage on suffering in the New Testament deflects the emphasis from cause to response. Although we cannot grasp the master plan of the universe, which allows for so much evil and pain (the Why? question), we can nevertheless respond in two important ways. First, we can find meaning in the midst of suffering. Second, we can offer real and practical help to those in need.

Gary Haugen, founder of the International Justice Mission, say something similar: "God has a plan to fight injustice, and that plan is us — ?his people. There is no Plan B.

As we practice implementing this incredible power tool He's placed in our hands, He divinely positions us - even a little life like ours - in His grand purpose for the ages. Through the connective tissue of prayer, He cracks open the door that makes us at least a small part of how these massive plans of His are translated into the lives of people we know. Including ours.

And I know without a doubt that God planned the chance for you and me to get together like this too—to unite through our passion for prayer. In fact, He whispered to me about you at that very first Bible study. I didn't know it then. But I see it clearly now. It's you. You're the one He had in mind.

It is a privilege for us to look at circumstances and discern God's involvement in them. To recognize them as more than mere happenstance but rather God's own detailed design and plan. To see that He is allowing us to cooperate with Him in bringing life from death, growth from loss, testimony from tragedy.

Life is a gift, however long it lasts. It's God's to give and take away as He sees fit. We go through life thinking we're entitled to our ninety, but we're not entitled to anything. All we can do is trust that He knows what He's doing. That He has a plan for all of us, and that no pain He allows in our life will go unused.

The Ten Commandments are preoccupied with goodness. Each commandment is a moral tour de force. Together they present the most compelling plan ever devised for a better life and good world. Yet, they were written—and in the eyes of hundreds of millions, revealed by the Creator—three thousand years ago. The Ten Commandments are what began humanity's long, arduous journey toward moral progress.

Your calling is not an afterthought. God does not save you and then say, "Now what am I going to get him to do? What job can I give her in the church?" God saves you because He has a purpose for you.

Joseph understood that the overall purpose of his life was to fit into a small part of God's larger plan for the world. Joseph understood that his life's purpose was bigger than simply playing out his own dream, even a God-given dream. He knew he was on earth to be part of God's story. This was a game changer for Joseph, and it can be a game changer for us too.

The story is never just about you and me; it's always about God's glory and his work on planet Earth. We need to grasp this: it's not all about me and my issues and my deliverance. It's about God's purposes in the world. He needs to get me involved in his plan because I'm connected to a bunch of other people and their involvement with his plan.