Planning Ahead

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 question often asked in the course of any job interview goes something like this, "Where do you see yourself in five years?  What are your plans?"  Now if you're like me, you don't have a clue what you'll be doing in the next five minutes, much less five years.  However, we spend the majority of our time looking into the future, trying to position ourselves to get the perfect job, buy the perfect house, find the perfect mate, etc.

I learned a very valuable lesson while serving as one of ten chaplains at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM.  Each day, treks of hikers would enter Philmont for a ten-day adventure into the wild back country of the ranch.  Before starting on their trek, the hikers had to visit several checkpoints, get their food and equipment, and the leader of the trek had to meet with logistics to discuss the plan.  Everything had been provided as long as they followed the map and the plan given the crew at the start.  They were to pick up food on certain days at certain places and they were to follow certain trails to arrive at their various camps.  Communication was also provided at various staffed camps along the way.

What the hikers didn't know was that months before their arrival, plans had been made for them.  All the different itineraries were checked out, all the food was prepared and packaged, all the trails were prepared, and all the necessary emergency procedures had been implemented.  All this was done to ensure a safe journey and an enjoyable experience for them.  All they had to do was trust us.

God is just like this.  The prophet Jeremiah tells us in the 29th chapter of his book and the eleventh verse that God knows the plans He has for us. “For I know the plans I have for you, for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)  These plans are for our good, not our harm.  They will also give us hope and a future.  Everything we need, God has already provided.  He knows where we are going, even when we do not.  Our responsibility is just to trust him. 

Think about it.  Plans are made with someone in mind and with the full knowledge of what will happen as the plan unfolds.  In addition, every conceivable situation has been thought out and addressed ahead of time.  All we have to do is walk with Him.  The hikers at Philmont came to have a good time.  They trusted us and did not worry about the journey ahead.  How much more then should we trust our Heavenly Father who knows the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning and who has prepared works in advance for us to do?  And what he begins in us he is faithful to accomplish!!!