Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:11

Introduction

A. What do you do when things don’t go according to plan?

B. When the plans of a Christian fail, there is no reason to despair; in fact, this gives us even more reason to hope.

Discussion

I. God always has a plan for His children.

A. God had a plan for Joseph (Genesis 50:19–20).

B. God had a plan for Moses (Exodus 2:1–10; 3:10).

C. God had a plan for Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5–10).

D. God had a plan for Esther (Esther 4:13–16).

II. Let’s consider the plan that God had for the apostle Paul.

A. Conversion to Christianity was certainly not part of Saul’s plan (Acts 9:1–2).

B. Paul’s travel itineraries were always subject to change (Galatians 4:13; Acts 15:36; 16:6–10; 20:3; 1 Corinthians 16:1–8).

C. When God’s plans contradicted Paul’s, great things happened (cf. Philippians 4:15–16; 2 Corinthians 11:9; Romans 15:26)

D. Paul learned to take change in stride and put his trust in the Lord (Philippians 4:11–13).

A. While your every move may not be predetermined by God, you can be sure that He does have a plan for you to do great things in His service.

B. If you are walking in the light but your plans aren’t working out, just trust that God has plans that are greater.