God's Gotta P.l.a.n.

God’s Got a P.L.A.N.

Jeremiah 29:1-11

Introduction:

Life does not always turn out as we plan it.

Have you ever heard the story of “Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, Not good, Very Bad Day?”

Alexander was an 8 year old boy, and he had one of those days when everything went wrong, disasters one right after another. Nothing went right, it was Horrible, Terrible, Not good, Very Bad Day!’

Alexander woke up one morning, he discovered he had gone to bed with gum in his mouth and when he awoke it was in his hair. When he got out of bed he tripped over his skateboard and then dropped his sweater into the sink where the water was running.

He said, ‘I just knew it was going to be a Horrible, Terrible, Not good, Very Bad Day!’

Then Alexander went to school and it turned out to be horrible day there too.

After school he had a terrible expereince at the dentists office. Then came supper and he said

‘We had cauliflower for supper and I hate cauliflower! And on TV all I saw was huggin and kisin and I hate huggin and kissin.’

Then my bath water was too hot and I got soap in my eye and I almost lost my marble down the drain.

When I went to bed, my brother Nick took back the pillow he said I could have. And my Star Trek night light burned out, and I bit my tongue and the cat decided to sleep with Nick instead of me.

All in all, Alexander said, it was a Horrible, Terrible, Not good, Very Bad Day.

Is it any wonder that when Alexander came to the end of the day, he heaved a sigh and cried, ‘I think I will run away.”

I think all of us, at one point have felt like poor Alexander. All of us have had days filled with anxiety, stress and frayed nerves.

We’ve heard it said that God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives. It’s easy to agree …

WHEN WE LIKE THE PLAN!

But sometimes, God’s plan turns out to be different than what we were thinking.

You may be happily married with two kids. You have no intentions on having any more. But one day, you come home from work. And your wife says “Guess what? I just came back from the doctor. And we’re going to have two more kids! Isn’t this a blessing? Praise the Lord!”

Sometimes, God’s plan is different than what we were thinking.

Or maybe you have a job that you really like. A job that you’re good at. But one day, the boss says, “John, we need to make some changes. We’re going to have to let you go.” And you go home and say, “Lord, what is happening? I thought I was where you wanted me to be! I thought I was doing what you wanted me to do! What is going on?”

Sometimes, God’s plan is different than what we were thinking.

Or maybe someone you love is fighting cancer. You were counting on God to come through for your family just like He always has. You were counting on a miracle! But one morning, the doctor calls back with the test results that you don’t want to hear.

Sometimes, God’s plan is different than what we were thinking.

The same thing is true of the people of Judah in Jeremiah 29. The year is 597 BC. God is judging the nation of Judah because of their unfaithfulness. The Babylonians have attacked Jerusalem. They’ve taken 3000 prisoners back to Babylon; Including the king, the court officials, and the craftsmen. And the Jews are saying,

“This isn’t supposed to happen to us! We’re the chosen people! We’re the apple of God’s eye! What is going on?”

The Jewish people have a beautiful history of God coming through for them in times of crisis.

In Exodus chapter 3:7, the Lord told Moses that “I have seen the misery of my people. I am concerned about their suffering at the hands of the Egyptians. So I’m going to bring them out of the land of Egypt.”

And that’s exactly what happens. In Exodus 14, God brings them through the Red Sea. 40 years later in Joshua 24, the Israelites inherit the Promised Land. God’s plan was accomplished in the lives of His people.

And in 2 Kings 19, the Assyrian army invaded the land of Judah. The people were scared. The commander of the Assyrian army said, “No one can deliver you out of the hand of the King of Assyria. Surrender to us now, and we will let you live!”

But Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. And that very night, an angel of the Lord went out and put to death 185,000 people in the Assyrian camp. Almighty God had come through once again! God’s word was accomplished in the lives of His people.