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Hope in God’s Beautiful Planning
The Task-Filled Life Bible Study — Week 2, Day 1
For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you (Psalm 71:5-6).
God has known it all before time began – from the color of my hair and eyes to the gifts and talents I was to possess. God’s foreknowledge planned the family into which I would be born, the homes I would live within, and the multiple states in which I would reside. He knew the friends I would have, the colleges I would attend, and the marriages I would experience. Even more astounding, God not only beautifully designed the godly parents I would have, but also knew of the commitment to His Word and ministry I would eventually possess. Washed in the redeeming blood and righteousness of Christ, He would also know of my mistakes, my selfishness, and my feelings of inadequacy and fear. Yet Christ, like Solomon to his bride, marveled and said of me, “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you” (Song of Solomon 4:7). He said this because He knew that when the fullness of time had come, He Himself would redeem me, restore me, and receive me as His own (Galatians 4:5-6).
Psalm 139:13-14, 16 – For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made … Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.
Christ saw the beauty in us, even with our faults, flaws, and inconsistencies. From eternity, He allowed, permitted, and prepared the way for us in advance – warts, mistakes, and all. His Spirit would be our constant guide. Through our Baptism into His kingdom, we became His child, His friend, His bride. Even if life seems overwhelming at times, nothing was ever desired other than our best – His best. The bad that happens, He uses for good. The doors that open for ministry and sharing are His to lead and guide. The closed doors are used for the purpose of protection or for lessons in trust through waiting. All is accomplished in love, to draw us closer to Him and to develop an understanding of His cross.
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
When you were born, imagine Jesus saying to the Father, “How beautiful she is for she is one-of-a-kind, destined to love and serve You through the power of Your Spirit. She is My chosen bride, precious and honored in My sight, and I love her” (Isaiah 43:4). No greater gift can be given than knowing of this beautiful, loving plan for our lives.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for revealing to me the greatest love known to mankind. May Your praise forever be on my tongue. Amen.
