The Greater Good

I hear people often say, "Things didn't go as I had planned." With man, our plans do go awry many times. But God's plan is sure and forever settled.

Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

Oftentimes, we think we know what's best. We come up with our plan and we set out on our own to make it happen. When things go amiss, we wonder what happened. It is then that we turn to God and ask Him to show us the right way to go. It would be better for us if we went to God first.

God sees the big picture. He knows the end from the beginning. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.

I think about the story of Lazarus in the Bible. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." Jesus knew what the ultimate outcome would be. After He said this, Jesus waited two days before he went to the town where Lazarus lived.

When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus already had been in the tomb for four days. When Mary went out to meet Jesus, she said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Mary couldn't see the big picture. She only knew that her brother had died. Jesus was then able to do a greater work when He raised Lazarus from the dead.

Jesus delayed going to the family he loved in order to strengthen the faith of that family and His disciples and to perform for them a greater good. His delay was for the ultimate eternal good of the believers.

Too often, we focus on our own plans and fail to look for the greater good. It wasn't in my plan to have these struggles with my walking. But I know that God, in His plan for my life, has a miracle for me! In the end, it is all for His glory.