God’s a Planner Too
“With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment- to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” -Ephesians 1:8b-10
I am an Enneagram 1; a planner, a list maker, an organizer and color coder. I like order. I make no secret about this to anyone. I love sharing my plans with people, no matter how many eye rolls I get in response. I include others because I want us to be on the same page. If we all have an understanding of the plan, it’s less confusing and chaotic, (and Enneagram 1s have a strong aversion to confusion and chaos). I also let others in on my carefully laid plans because I value them; I genuinely want them to participate with me. My plans aren’t much fun if I’m the only one who executes them. This, more or less, is what Paul is saying in the beginning of Ephesians 1. God wants us in on His plans.
There are a great many things we can never hope to know or understand about God. Our humanity is too finite. The good news is, the things we need to know about Him, the most important things, are secrets He’s willing to share. You see, God is a planner too. The Old Testament is full of evidence pointing to God’s salvation plan, set in motion even before the beginning of the world. Nothing has happened that God has not known about or planned for, even the fall of man. As Ephesians 1:9 says, he “purposed” it all. No matter how terrible things got, God knew it would all be made right in Christ. The sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, would “bring unity to all things in heaven and earth under Christ,” and that was the plan all along. How humbling it is to be let in on God’s master plan to save the world!
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:3-4). That God considers us at all is truly humbling. That He “made known to us the mystery of his will,” is sort of dumbfounding. Why would He do this? Why would He bother to let us in on His intentions? It’s simple really: the plan exists for us. He sent Jesus to die for us. We are sinful, limited creations. Without Him, we have no hope of ever being made right. So God came up with a plan to save us. Now that we know about it, let’s not keep it a secret. Let’s include as many people as we can.
Study & Reflection: Read Ephesians 1:3-14. What words do you notice that speak to the plan God set in motion? In your own words, right out what God’s plan was. Read through the passage again, this time notice the words that speak to God’s love for you. Think about how you feel when someone includes you in their plans. How do you feel knowing the God of the Universe chose to include you in His plans? Now read Ephesians 1:17-19. Who can you share these words with? Who can you be praying for to include in God’s salvation plan?
Prayer: Spend some time with the Lord in prayer today, thanking Him not only for revealing His plan to you but for including you in it. Ask Him to show you who to share the Good News of Jesus with today. Use Psalm 8:3-4 and Psalm 9:1-2 to guide you.