The Best Laid Plans

And it happened that after these things, God tested Abraham. And he said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” And he said, “Take your son, your only child, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains where I will tell you.” And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. And he took two of his servants with him, and Isaac his son. And he chopped wood for a burnt offering. And he got up and went to the place which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and he saw the place at a distance. And Abraham said to his servants, “You stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go up there. We will worship, then we will return to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and placed it on Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand and the knife, and the two of them went together. And Isaac said to Abraham his father, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “God will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went together. And they came to the place that God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood. Then he bound Isaac his son and placed him on the altar atop the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. And the angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” And he said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the boy; do not do anything to him. For now I know that you are one who fears God, since you have not withheld your son, your only child, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, a ram was caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place “Yahweh will provide,” for which reason it is said today, “on the mountain of Yahweh it shall be provided.”

Prayer

Let’s Pray- Heavenly father, please bless this message today. Allow it to be led by your Holy Spirit. God, allow this message to speak to the hearts of those that you intend it for. In your holy name. Amen.

The Best Laid Plans

Here’s the good news… I know it’s a holiday weekend and you all have places to be – this is going to be a short message. When I timed it out it came in under 20 minutes so I’ll try to keep it around that for you this morning.

Have all heard of the saying “the best laid plans?” The saying originated in the poem entitled To a Mouse by Robert Burns which was the inspiration for Steinbeck’s classic American novel Of Mice and Men. Today I want to talk to you about a concept that I think everyone is already familiar with and that is that life rarely goes according to plan. Now this is a touchy subject because as most of you know I’m a planner! I plan out everything. I’m not just a type A personality – I’m type A on steroids.

I think most everyone has seen the movie Home Alone. If you haven’t or it’s been a while, it’s about an 8-year-old kid named Kevin. He gets left behind when his family goes away on a Christmas vacation. The iconic scene from that movie is when Kevin pretends to be shaving and slaps on some aftershave with both hands on his cheeks he yells, “agh!” I know many people have re-enacted this scene when they see someone freaking out over the unexpected.

“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.”

In the gospel of Luke, Luke tells us about a dinner with a very special guest of honor, a dinner that didn’t go planned. Luke chapter 10 verse 38 tell us, “As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.”

Now I don’t know about you, but I tend to go a little overboard when it comes to dinner parties. So, I can only imagine what Martha was thinking when she was hosting a dinner for Jesus!! I’m sure she pulled her sister Mary aside and began talking about what the menu would look like of and what those foods would be served on. I’m sure she had a plan in mind of how this dinner would go.

Pic 1

I can sympathize with Martha, like many people I had pretty important plans in 2020, my husband Eric and I welcomed our baby girl Evelyn that year. And I think most parents can relate to all of the planning that goes into having a baby. Well, Eric and I found out we were expecting in January of 2020. We were so excited, and once we were assured by the doctor everything was progressing as planned, we started telling family and friends our big news. I started to plan in my head how my pregnancy was going to go. Just like many expectant mothers I couldn’t wait to show off my growing “baby bump” to the world. Well as you know, the best laid plans… Just a couple weeks after beginning to share our news the world shut down. I spent the next 4 months in isolation. I had to go all by myself to all of my doctors appointments and even my ultrasound, where we would find out if we were having a another girl or a boy. Spoiler alert.. it was a girl. Eric was only able to be there through a FaceTime call.

pic 2

As COVID continued to shut- down the world my plan for delivering my baby girl quickly changed from being surrounded by loved ones at the hospital to planning on it just being me and hopefully Eric at the hospital. So I shifted my attention and began to plan the birth announcement, COVID couldn’t take this away from me. I bought this beautiful swaddle banket to wrap our baby girl in and even splurged, buying myself a matching robe to wear. I could picture me in the hospital bed holding my baby smiling for a picture perfect moment. Well as you know… the best laid plans.

Pic 3

On Thursday, July 30th, just as the world was starting to semi-open back up, I went to my 32 week check, the NP said I was starting to have abnormal labs and ordered bloodwork to check on my liver function. The next morning, I was up by 6 am talking to Eric about our plans for the weekend when my phone rang. I didn’t answer since I wasn’t in the market for an extended car warranty. Then I saw I had a voicemail, and the number was calling me again.I figured at this point it was a call I wanted to take and answered the phone. On the other end was my NP saying my liver numbers were elevated and she thought it would be best if I went to the hospital to be monitored. I hung up the phone and was telling Eric- rearranging our days plans, when my phone rang again.It was the NP again but this time she told me BTW don’t eat or drink anything, just in case you have a baby today.

Pic 4

After spending the weekend in the hospital being monitored – let me tell you being a human pin cushion for 4 days was NOT in my birth plan- at 8:15 Monday evening my doctor came and sat on the end of my bed and said that he and his team had decided my liver wasn’t handling the pregnancy well and it was time to deliver. At 8:44pm Monday, August 3rd, Eric and I welcomed our daughter Evelyn 7 weeks early.

pic 5

Thankfully, the NICU team deemed Evelyn strong enough to allow me to get a quick glance and a picture before she was whisked off to her NICU. This certainly was not the picture I had in mind. I didn’t even print off a birth announcement, instead of Evelyn and I matching this is the picture I posted on Facebook to announce Evelyn’s arrival.

Pic 6

I spent the next 24 hours alone in my hospital room, on strong medication that caused me to be on bedrest and was only able to see Evelyn through pictures Eric would send and Facetime calls. In Eric’s defense he was going back and forth checking on me but he was under strict orders to stay with Evelyn- I had a team taking care of me she needed her father. This was not what I had planned at all. I was scared for my baby & I was mad and frustrated as I heard the mothers in the rooms beside me bonding with their babies while I lay alone sometimes feeling like it was a dream that I even delivered.

How Did I Get Here?

Maybe you have found yourself in a situation where you have felt stunned by something that has happened to you that you never saw coming. Maybe you’re at a point where you are asking yourself “how did I get here? This isn’t what I expected my life to look like.” But the good news is nothing surprises God. In 2 Timothy 1:9 God declares that He, “…saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” God calls every Christian to live a godly life, be a witness, grow up spiritually, walk in love with our brothers and sisters, and to produce the fruits of the Spirit. God gave you a specific calling based on your gifts and desires, and this calling doesn’t change because something happens, or doesn’t happen. Romans 11:29 tells us, “For gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” God sticks with His plan, it is never wavering, nothing derails Him.

Just like our plans fall apart, Martha’s dinner did not go as planned either. As she is running around, like a chicken with her head cut off. I’m sure refilling drinks and making sure everyone had enough to eat. She sees Mary sitting enjoying herself, spending time with Jesus. This is not what Martha had planned. Now, this is the point where our lives intersect with Luke’s story. Just like Martha had a plan, a vision of what her diner would look like, we have all had plans that never come to be. Just as I was upset and jealous that the other moms got to spend time with their new babies as mine was in the NICU.

Where Is God?

This is the point where we can decide to blame God. Where is God?? After all God could have kept this from happening. What’s the point of making plans, or trying? Really after all of the years you spent putting in your time on Sunday morning. After all of the time you spent studying the Bible and trying to live the right way doing countless good deeds. So, you blame God that you’re plans didn’t come to life. Just as frustrated as we get when our events don’t go as planned, Martha marched up to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work?”

If you’ve been daydreaming or making your grocery list in your head, I want you to listen to this part…

It is a mistake to wrap our faith in GOD in the fulfillment of our plans.

The foundation to our faith is not everything going our way like some Disney fairytale. It is a mistake to wrap our faith in GOD in the fulfillment of our plans. Let me repeat that for you.. It is a mistake to wrap our faith in GOD in the fulfillment of our plans. That’s the definition of being a “fair-weather Christian,” when things go as I planned God is so good or God loves me, but when things don’t go my way, we say I can’t put my faith in a God that would allow this to happen.

Jesus answered Martha “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” All these events that don’t go the way we planned are not what God is worried about- He has an ultimate plan for us and spending time with Jesus will always trump anything else in our lives.

pic 7

After 24 hours I finally got to see Evelyn. She was hooked up to machines and had wires coming off of her in every direction. She looked so small and fragile in the incubator. I prayed to God to give her the strength to fight, to heal, and to grow.

Pic 8

The NICU doctor came in and told Eric and I Evelyn was strong, but she had a ways to go. She would probably would not go home until close to her due date which was 7 weeks. First, she needed to be able to breath on her own. Eric and I prayed and told Evelyn she needed to breath. God was there within a couple days Evelyn was breathing on her own. Then she had to gain weight to get back to her birth weight of 4lbs 11oz. Eric and I prayed God was there and she surpassed her birth weight. Next, she had to be able to maintain her own body temperature. So, Eric and I prayed God was there and a couple of days later they were wheeling out the incubator and bring in an open-air crib!! Last, and the hardest of all, Evie had to learn to eat on her own. Eric and I prayed, and God was there. On Monday, August 17th, 2020, after 2 weeks in the NICU Evelyn was coming home 5 weeks earlier than planned!! None of this was our plan for our first two weeks with Evelyn but God was there and showing us that even through the unexpected His love and power can show through. On August 3rd we celebrated Evelyn’s 2nd birthday. She has surprised even her doctor at how well she has done. Her doctor once said, “other than her size, she is trying to make us forget she is a preemie.”

When God has a plan, He’s never worried about the outcome

When God has a plan, He’s never worried about the outcome, even when we are yelling with our hands on our cheeks like the scene from Home Alone. God can see ahead and provides exactly what we need when we need it. Simply put, God is the ultimate event coordinator- He has prepared every detail in advance.

Abraham trusted in God’s plan

A great example of this came in the very beginning of the Bible. In Genesis 22 in those verses, we read earlier this morning. God asked Abraham to offer is son, the heir to his promised line, as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah. This is where most of us would grab our child run the other way and say, this wasn’t the right plan. Yet Abraham quickly obeyed God and took his son on a three day journey to the mountain and intended to sacrifice him for the Lord. Abraham trusted in God’s plan, and as Paul tells us in the book of Hebrews, Abraham believed that if Isaac died, God could raise him from the dead and still fulfill His promise. That’s true faith.

Do Not Lay Your Hand On The Boy...

As Abraham lifted his arms to sacrifice his son, God stopped him, “He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’”

Abraham then saw a ram caught by its horns. He took that ram and sacrificed it to God in place of Isaac. He then named the place Jehovah Jireh, which means “the God who provides.” This the first place in the Bible where God is called Jehovah.

“Hey God, there’s a mountain right over here, why don’t we just go there?”

Let’s take a step back and really think about this historic event. I have to imagine that there were closer mountains than Mount Moriah. Instead of taking the three-day journey to that particular mountain, Abraham could have just said, “Hey God, there’s a mountain right over here, why don’t we just go there?”

But God had a plan, and it involved the mountain that was three-days away. He planned for that ram appear on the top of that mount at the exact moment Abraham would need it- if he had gone to a closer more convenient mountain, he would have missed God’s ultimate plan.

Just as He guided Abraham up the right mountain at the right time, He does the same for you!

So, as you go about planning your life, be careful to include God in those plans, and listen to Him. Being sure that you are following His plan and you go where He guides you. Just as He guided Abraham up the right mountain at the right time, He does the same for you! God has seen ahead of your situation- even the situations you never saw coming- and has a plan for you—and that’s providing you with exactly what you need exactly when you need it. So, follow God’s plan because you don’t want to be on the wrong mountain when God has your provision waiting for you somewhere else.

I am NOT saying it will be all cupcakes and rainbows

Don’t misinterpret what I am saying. I am NOT saying that if you follow God’s plan that it will be all cupcakes and rainbows. But the great thing about being a Christian is, when you give your life over to God, He will carry you through- not only during the great times but during the hard times as well. Jesus did not die on a cross for our good times, He it did it for our worst of times- so don’t let that sacrifice go to waste. In those times when you are following God’s plan but the waters are deep and the burden is heavy- don’t turn back, stay the course and allow Him to carry you through.

In those times can you put your trust in God?

So, as Joel would say… here’s my bottom line. Like my pregnancy with Evelyn, you probably have and will have times in your life when things don’t go as planned. In those times can you put your trust in God? I promise you He still has a great plan and purpose for you. But if you quit or stray from His plan willing your plan to come to fruition, you will never find God’s plan. If you stop moving forward wallowing in self-pity, disappointment, and heartbreak because you didn’t get your way you’ll never get to the promised land. So, keep going. Your event or life may not look the way you thought, but don’t waste your time looking back focusing on what could have or should have been. Instead look forward. Be led by the Holy Spirit, move when God says move, stay when He says stay, and be faithful and obedient, knowing that He hasn’t forgotten His plan for you.