Monthly Devotion

Your Place in the Plan

"Shout and be glad." -Zechariah 2:10

Joy is a serious problem for Christians. Actually, the real problem is our lack of it. Believers feel oppressed, depressed, stressed, and burned-out at alarming levels. Why? Because we feel disconnected from God's plan and purpose. We do not comprehend how our daily to-do lists fit in the eternal landscape, or how our month-to-month survival leaves time for an everlasting vision. We want every moment to count and every activity to bear fruit, but we don't see how they do. And worst of all, we don't see how His desires for our lives fit our desires for our lives. We get discouraged because we lose our vision.

Two proverbs give us insight into human depression: “If people can not see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed” (Proverbs 29:18, The Message); and, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). In both cases, whether from impaired vision or denied gratification, discouragement is a result of the disconnect between human hope and God's design. When we are on the construction site while the Architect's plans are hidden away in an office somewhere, we are lost.

But His plans are not hidden away. If we think He will post them on a billboard, we'll be disappointed, but if we seek them like buried treasure, life will be an adventure. And an adventurous life is a joyful life. The exhilaration of being led by God is the sure antidote to a life of discouragement. It leads to shouting and gladness.

How would you describe your life today? Are you in glad shouting mode, or are you in burnout survival mode? If the latter, why? You have access to the Architect's design and an open invitation to be a part of it. Not only that, you can rest assured that His desires for you line up with the deepest needs and appetites of your heart. The disconnect between your will and His and between your hopes and His is an illusion. He crafted you to fit your place in the plan. That should be worth a joyful shout.

There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice. –John Calvin

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Monthly Devotion