God Has A Plan

God has a plan.

It began with the dawn of creation when He brought all things into being from nothing. At the center of His creation, He placed Adam and Eve. His plan was that they would enjoy an intimate friendship with Him and make use of all the goods of Paradise. Even when they disobeyed Him, God continued to bless them. Though they and their children would no longer be able to live forever in Paradise because of their sin, God promised to one day save them from the power of death.

God had a plan for Abraham. Though he was an old man, God promised that He would make of him a great nation. Abraham believed and obeyed, leaving his homeland to settle in the land that God promised to give him. Because of his faith, God raised up the people of Israel. They would be His people and He would be their God.

God had a plan for Moses. As a baby, God spared him from being killed by the Egyptians. Appearing to him in the burning bush, the Lord called him to free His people from slavery. Through many powerful acts, God used Moses to convince Pharaoh to let His people go free. The greatest act of them all was parting the Red Sea to deliver His people from the chariots and armies of the Egyptians. For forty years, the Lord led His people through the desert to the land He had prepared for them. Even when they disobeyed Him, He never abandoned them.

God had a plan for the people of Israel. They would be the people that He chose to reveal His love. By following His law, they would be a light to the whole world. He established a kingdom for them through David. Even when the people disobeyed God, He sent prophets to promise them that He would send a Messiah to save them.

God’s plan reached its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the new Adam who restores Paradise to us. Like Abraham, He remained obedient to God even unto death. Because of His faithfulness, our Heavenly Father has created a new family through Him. Jesus is the new Moses, leading us out of slavery to sin. Finally, Jesus is the new David, the longed for Messiah, whose kingdom will never end. By raising Jesus from the dead, God fulfilled all the promises He made to the people of Israel.

God has a plan for you and me. Before we were born, He already knew and loved us. In baptism, He chose us to be His beloved daughters and sons and  gave us the promise of everlasting life.  Jesus’ victory over death is now our victory. When we give our lives to Him, His plan to raise us up to new life can become a reality in us. The freedom from sin He won for us on the cross already begins to take effect as we feel sorrow for our bad choices and begin to desire to live good and holy lives. His Spirit works in and through us to accomplish good works. The world begins to see the difference that faith in God makes by the transformation it causes within us.

Today’s world tells us that faith and religion are relics which should be relegated to the past. They should have no place in the modern world. However, all of history belongs to God. He was active in the past, He is active now and He is leading us to our future which will culminate in Jesus’ Second Coming. Without God, there is no future. However, if we submit ourselves to His plan, we can have hope that our Heavenly Father has all things under control and that, no matter what happens, He will make all things work together for our good.

We began our Easter celebration this evening by blessing the Easter candle. We said the words,

            Christ yesterday and today

            the beginning and the end

            Alpha

            and Omega

            all time belongs to him           

            and all the ages

            to him be glory and power

            through every age for ever. Amen

God’s plan is to bring all things into one through Christ Jesus. As we renew our baptismal vows tonight, let us recommit ourselves to cooperating with God’s plan for us by making His will the center of our lives. Then we will know the victory over sin and death that we celebrate this holy Easter night.