God Sized Plans

Something I think we all ask ourselves is why? Why me? Why here? It’s easy to get down and think that we don’t matter or that what we’re doing is meaningless. I want to remind you that you are so important, and you're likely right where you need to be and doing exactly what you need to do! I can assure you that God has a plan for your life!

Jeremiah 29:11 (MEV)

For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Everyday People

Let’s look at a couple that were likely normal, everyday people…

Luke 1:5–7 (MEV)

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were now well advanced in years.

Here’s Zechariah and Elizabeth, two people living their lives. They were good people, the scripture declares them as righteous. They were blameless in the commandments, remember, this is before the blood. They were good people by anyone's standards. In all of this, their lives were not perfect… Elizabeth was barren! To be barren in this culture was to be labeled with a curse or a reproach. To top that off, they're both old in age. Society is good about labeling us and telling us all the reasons we can’t, but God tells us we can because He loves the impossible!!!

Luke 1:8–18 (MEV)

Now while he served as priest before God, when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole crowd of people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not fear, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. He will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife well advanced in years.”

God just laid out His full big-picture plan for Zechariah. You're going to have a baby that will prepare the way for the savior of the world! That’s a huge plan!! God loves to do those impossible things in our lives. The problem sometimes is that we, like Zechariah, have come to believe those labels they’ve stuck on us. I want you to know that God isn’t interested in the labels, and they don’t change His plans.

God's Plans are BIG

How many of us have steered clear of a dream we have for ourselves because we believe all the reasons we can’t or shouldn’t go for it??? We’d be better to go for it and fail than to let our dreams pass us by.

Luke 1:19–24 (MEV)

The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. And I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things happen, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their season.”

The people waited for Zechariah, and wondered why he waited so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he made signs to them and remained speechless.

As soon as the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his own home. After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she hid herself, saying,

Our God is a redeeming God! He cares for us and has great plans in store for us. The question is, who will you believe… God or man? Don’t let your dreams pass you by, you might be a part of something bigger than yourself. You might get to change the world!!!