Good Plans or God Plans?

We all like to make plans to a certain extent.

I don’t necessarily call myself a planner, however I do  like to have a general idea of what’s going on in the day. 

I’m definitely not one of those people who plans out every moment, but when I was younger and something didn’t go the way I thought it was going to I would get really upset.

Thank goodness I’m not like that now because life is too crazy to expect things to go exactly how you plan them to.

On one hand I think it’s good for us to make plans. It helps us stay focused and motivated, but on the other hand I think when we make plans too far in advance and expect them to go exactly as pictured, God has one of those “shaking my head” moments.

Today, I want to talk about one of the verses in the Bible that has become a verse used to support the Prosperity Gospel theology.

If you’re not aware of what the Prosperity Gospel proclaims, The Gospel Coalition explains it like this: “In the forefront is the doctrine of the assurance of “divine” physical health and prosperity through faith. In short, this means that “health and wealth” are the automatic divine right of all Bible-believing Christians and may be procreated by faith as part of the package of salvation, since the Atonement of Christ includes not just the removal of sin, but also the removal of sickness and poverty.”

Basically, because you’re a believer, God will only allow good things to happen to you. Thus where the term “health and wealth” comes from.

There are so many verses in the Bible that contradict this theology, but right now I want to go over a verse that has been used to support the Prosperity Gospel.

Jeremiah 29:11 reads, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Just reading that verse without knowing the context of it sounds really comforting for us and I can see why some people would read that and think that God only wants to allow good things to happen to them, but in order for us to understand the true meaning of this verse we have to take a look at the context.

Again, the purpose of this series is not necessarily to tell you that you can’t be encouraged by scriptures like this. 

I’ve read this scripture multiple times in my life when I was searching for answers and it brought encouragement to my soul.

The purpose of this series is simply to make us aware of the actual context of these scriptures.

I think when we know the true context, they can become even more meaningful to us.

So let’s take a look at the context of Jeremiah 29.

Historically, the Israelites are in exile in Babylon and the purpose of the book was to warn of the destruction that they were about to face and to urge them to return and submit to God. 

Jeremiah was a priest who God calls to be His prophet. Jeremiah identifies their sins and treachery, as he wants them to realize the serious condition of their sinful ways.

However, later on in the book he gives them hope through prophecies of the coming king and the new covenant that will be made.

In Chapter 28 of Jeremiah we read about a false prophet named Hananiah.

He basically comes in and tells the Israelites that he’s heard God say that within two years, they will be able to go back to their own land and everything will be restored to them.

Jeremiah confronts Hananiah, saying that what he’s told the people is not true and that he will die because he’s rebelled against the Lord. Two months later Hananiah died. I can’t make this stuff up, people. Read Jeremiah 28.

In the next chapter, Jeremiah tells the Israelites that they should, “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

This isn’t what the Israelites wanted to hear. They probably actually liked Hananiah’s prophecy a lot more, but Jeremiah tells them that they will be in exile for seventy years. In a way, he’s telling them they better live their lives and thrive where they are.

Skip down to Jeremiah 29:10-13 where we find our key verse.

This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

You see, Jeremiah 29:11 is so much more than just a promise that God will give us health and wealth.

It’s a reminder that even in the midst of trials, in the midst of circumstances that we don’t like, we can trust that he has a plan.

He doesn’t promise us that our entire lives will be full of good things. You can read tons of scriptures throughout the Bible that say otherwise, but he does promise us that he will be with us through all things.

The Israelites had to learn to seek the Lord through their unwanted circumstances. For seventy years! They had to pray and listen for His voice. They had to trust that he had a plan for them, even when things didn’t seem to go their way.

The best spiritual growth comes through persevering through trials, not by escaping them entirely.

Even when life seems unfair, as believers, we know that as long as we seek the Lord and depend on Him, he has a plan for us.

If you’re a planner, this may be difficult for you.

I know I’ve had my fair share of times where I thought God should be doing something that he isn’t.

But maybe, like the Israelites, God is calling us to plant roots in our struggle insteading of trying to plan our way out of them.

Maybe he’s calling us to thrive right here and now in a way that will glorify him more than what would if we had everything all figured out.

Maybe he wants us to seek him more.

To trust him more.

To depend on him more.

The plans he has for us are good, maybe not in the way the world defines good.

The kind of good that will draw us closer to Him.

That’s when we will prosper.

What You Should Know About the Prosperity Gospel (thegospelcoalition.org)

Jeremiah 28-29 NLT