Is this God’s Plan?
Jeremiah 29:11
The truth is that we all can be quite good at sticking our foot in our mouths. The trouble is we sometimes do not realize the impact of our words. As a pastor the worst situation for many Christians is in the midst of pain and suffering, we Sometimes, in the attempt to comfort and help, say things that are unhelpful. In fact, sometimes our words only compound the suffering. One that has really hurt a lot of people is the phrase “this is part of God’s plan.”
There are multiple studies that have shown that this seemingly insignificant phrase has caused a lot of people to leave the faith. Why do you think this phrase causes so much trouble? Imagine right now the worst thing that you could imagine happening to your family. Think about all the terrible things that could happen, the loss of a child, a rape, a murder, or whatever is your worst nightmare. Then add that thought to that this must have been part of God’s plan. Is it part of God’s plan for something this horrible to happen to someone you love or to yourself and then try to reconcile this with a God that loves and wants the best for you. It is really hard to do.
In fact, the major problem is that this statement simply is not true. Now before you get mad and stop listening, it is not true in the fact that we know that this simply does not coincide with how we see God operating in our lives. If we take a plan to mean that God has everything in our life planned out to the last detail that would mean we would not have any free will. That would mean that each and every one of us is just a puppet or an actor on a stage reading lines that God has already written. This is not the way we understand God. God is not a puppet master. God does not have a detailed plan that lays out every twist and turn.
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