When a plan comes together

November 1, 2006

By Randy Mantik

The old television series The A-Team featured an eclectic mix of Vietnam vets who came together to rescue people in crisis situations. There were always many intricate details that had to come together with precision timing. It was like a trapeze act, with each person knowing his job and carrying it out in strict conformity to the plan.

At the end of every episode, after the A-Team had swooped in and saved the day, you’d always hear their leader, Hannibal Hayes, proudly exclaiming, “I love it when a plan comes together!”

As humans, our plans will always be subject to unexpected twists and turns — some will work, some won’t and none are guaranteed. But God has a plan that will never fail, a plan of His own design flawlessly thought out. It may catch us off guard at times. However, in the end, we can be confident that God knows us, He loves us, and He is never caught by surprise.

God said to the prophet Jeremiah in Scripture, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5, NIV). God has a plan that included us from the beginning. It is not some fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants idea thrown together at the last minute.

God’s plan for each of our lives is divinely unique and made to last for eternity, its many intricate details designed to come together at exactly the right moment. “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ ” (Jeremiah 29:11). God has a plan and He’s bringing it together!

We can see the troubles and disasters of yesteryear like we can see the mountains we’ve just passed through in the rearview mirror of our car. But when we were making our way through those mountains of trial and hardship, we could only feel the strain of the climb and sense the danger of the journey over the sharp and rocky crags of difficulty.

However, if we would stop and breathe deeply for a moment, we could also catch a sustaining breath of the dear, sweet air of Emmanuel’s land. We may not have gotten there yet and we’ve never been there before, but we can trust the hand of the One who is leading us and His ability to work out His plan.

Hebrews 12:1 says Jesus is “the author and perfecter of our faith” because of what He “endured.” Like the pioneer trailblazers of years ago, we know that the path Christ leads us on is one that He has trod before. We can move ahead with confidence, knowing by faith that we will eventually get to that place of completion where we can say like old Hannibal Hayes, “I just love it when a plan comes together!”

God does have a plan for us. Today you may be sensing complete peace or you may be embroiled in a battle that seeks to consume your very soul. Perhaps you are somewhere in between. No matter, the heart of it all comes down to this: God has a plan for you and as you love Him, He will see you through it. Isn’t that just what Paul wrote about?

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

No matter what you are facing today, it is all fitting into the plan. It’s a plan that’s coming together better than anything The A-Team guys could have conjured up. It is a plan that is uniquely yours, prepared by a God who loves you. It is a plan brought together through what Jesus did for us on the cross. God loves it when the plan of our lives comes together! That is always His intention!

Randy Mantik is senior pastor of Crossroads Church of the Assemblies of God in Pembine, Wis.