God Has a Plan

In my morning devotions I have been reading the Psalms. Today as I read Psalm 18 I was struck by range of emotions in the Psalm. David writes in verses 1-3:
 
I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.

We can almost feel the intense love David has for God. David's love for God and faith in God's power becomes a place for him to find refuge in difficult times.

As 2013 comes to a close, many of us could make a list of troubles and difficulties that we experienced. For those of us who know the Lord, we could also make a list of ways in which God was there for us during those difficult times. Like David we can attest that the Lord is worthy to be praised.

But the Psalms goes on to talk about the depths of despair that David went through before the Lord delivered him. David talks about "ropes of death wrapped around him" (verse 4) and the "snares of death confronting him." Wow. Most of our problems do not take us to the edge of death and back. But David knew such deep turmoil in his soul because of the range of troubles that he had been through. Perhaps that is why his love for God also bloomed so brightly. Those who have been through great difficulties learn the capacity for great love.

When we go through difficult times we are often tempted to be angry at God for letting us down. David went to through a living hell (verse 5) and yet he did not get bitter or angry. Instead he said, "God-His way is perfect" (verse 30) and goes on to say that "God . . . makes my way perfect. (verse 32). Difficulties can make us bitter or they can make us better. Our faith in God is what enables us to go down the path of betterment instead of bitterness.

Though we do not always understand God's plan for our lives, we can rest in the assurance that God does indeed have a plan. God's ways are perfect and as we learn to love Him more, He can make our ways perfect too.

For more devotionals like this one, consider Touching the Footprints of Jesus.