God’s Plan

Has God rejected his people? Of course not! 

Posing a rhetorical question, St. Paul asks whether God has given up on his chosen people.   No way, he replies.   God’s plan is still unfolding.   One day all of Israel will be saved.

Perhaps we pose the same question to the Lord for our loved ones who are still distant from him.   “Have you rejected this person, Lord?   Why aren’t you intervening in his life?   Why are you allowing her to stray from you?”

We can’t see into the future.   We don’t know how each person’s story will end.   So while we may not be able to see what God is doing in the life of the ones we are most concerned about, we can hold onto this truth: God is still at work.   He hasn’t given up—on any of us!   He may not let us in on his grand design, but he urges us to keep interceding and not give up.   He wants all to be saved.   Our prayers can make the difference!

While we are praying and interceding, we can do one more thing.   We can ask the Lord, “Is there anything you would like me to do for this person today?”

Not only do our prayers help bring others to Christ, but so do our efforts to reach out to them in love.   If our invitations to church-related events have fallen on deaf ears, maybe we need to take a different tack.   Perhaps the Lord will put it on our hearts to do an unexpected favor for someone.   Maybe we can spend a little extra time with that person, perhaps even by attending a sporting event or going out for coffee with them.   Or maybe we should write a little note of encouragement for someone who is going through a difficult time.

What we do may be the next stitch in the net God is weaving.   We may never see the results of his work in a person’s life, but we can trust that he is still working.   But however much or little we can see, we can be sure of this: God delights in making us part of his grand plan.   We only have to trust that at the perfect time, the net will be strong enough to gather our loved ones into his kingdom.

word among us