In 2002, Pastor Rick Warren wrote a book he titled, The Purpose Driven Life. Publisher’s Weekly called it the bestselling non-fiction hardback in publishing history, selling more than 32 million copies.
What was the appeal? It answered the basic question, Why am I here? It offered readers a path to uncover their unique purpose and to formulate a plan to fulfill it.
God has always been a Planner. Nothing is haphazard in His universe. The trees He grew have purposeful seasons. The sun, moon, and stars He set with courses and orbits; the oceans He regulated by tides. He established seasons in the hemispheres, set by the perfect tilt and rotation of our planet.
Nothing is haphazard in His ecosystem. The myriad of players in His universe all converge and interact; they all benefit and sacrifice; they are all completely dependent upon each other to sustain and fulfill God’s intended purposes.
Nothing is haphazard in His creation. When He created the first man and woman in His perfect garden, He gave them everything they needed to fulfill their purpose. He outlined their responsibilities along with rules, boundaries, and expectations. O, what a plan He had there.
So, one day I’m reading in Isaiah looking for context about another matter and I hit the middle of chapter 28. I’ll paraphrase:
Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway, scatter cumin, and plant wheat in its field?
His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick. Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain. All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.
Just as He planned the heavens, the earth, and all that is in them, our Father made a plan for us. Today. HIS PLAN IS WONDERFUL AND HIS WISDOM IS MAGNIFICENT. Today. Just as His ecosystem incorporates every finite part into the whole, so is His plan for us detailed and intricate – beyond finding out (Rom.11:36). The encounters that bring us frustration today may be necessary to bring about a greater purpose tomorrow. The roadblock that proves uncrossable today may ‘make a way where there is no way’ in the future. The phone call that rocks our world this afternoon will be purposed and accounted for. Our Father wastes nothing. HIS PLAN IS WONDERFUL AND HIS WISDOM IS MAGNIFICENT.
No, the farmer does not plow and continue plowing over and over. He must plant. What he grows is not harvested by a ‘one size fits all’ method. God instructs him in the right way. He, alone, knows best how to produce a bountiful harvest in our lives. Like the farmer, He instructs and teaches us. Thus, we become like a tree planted by the streams of water that yields fruit in its season; whose leaf does not wither; and whatever he does, he prospers. (Ps.1:3)
Our Father is not haphazard. Our lives and the smallest events of them are not capricious and arbitrary. The Grand Planner who fulfills all of His purposes and integrates all of the moving parts of our days, has a plan. Today. And HIS PLAN IS WONDERFUL AND HIS WISDOM IS MAGNIFICENT!
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Janet Paschal 
My heart needed this today. I remember something Kelly Nelon said at one of their concerts years ago. She said “I’m thankful I cannot see what lies ahead of me because most often I would not have the faith to walk through it if I already knew the outcome.” That has stuck with me all these years. His plan is perfect, and He is so good! Thank you for sharing your heart today.
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Thank you for your reminder. Throws every into perspective instantly!
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How true! You said, “His plan is perfect.”
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Amen!
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Good word today. I haven’t seen or heard about you in a very long time. I followed you to several places to hear you sing back in the day. You were my inspiration.
I have your book “The Good Road” lying on a table in my living room.
I love you “Miss Janet.”
Sincerely, “Miss Shirley” Brown
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Thank you so much, Miss Shirley. I took two years off while my mom navigated dementia – she is whole again and with Jesus.
Thank you for making my day!!
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Thank you for your thoughtful post! Your reflections on God’s meticulous planning resonate deeply. I am reminded of, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” It’s is a beautiful reminder that we make plans with God’s help, and it’s ultimately God plan that guides us.
Your insights about the farmer’s diligence in Isaiah are profound, Janet. They echo the wisdom found in Proverbs 21:5: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.”
I can relate this to my own experiences traveling around the world. I learned that last-minute decisions often led to overspending, pushing me to plan more thoughtfully.
I appreciate your emphasis on God’s wonderful plan for our lives. It inspires me to challenge myself and others to seek His guidance even more actively. Let’s strive together to deepen our understanding of His purpose and ensure our plans align with His will.
Keep shining your light and encouraging others! I look forward to hearing about your next steps in this journey.
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Thank you for your encouragement! What a wonderful Father we have!!
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I have been mulling over your words for awhile, thinking about the chasm that sometimes exists between what we see (it doesn’t feel so magnificent sometimes) and what we believe. “We walk by faith, not by sight,” the apostle Paul says. I don’t always ‘like’ this part of the journey, but by trying, at least, to trust in the Truth of the wonderful plan and magnificent wisdom, my confidence grows that the plan is of His making, not the feebleness of my own. Thanks for bringing Is. 28 to light and into my heart.
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Hi Julie,
You’ve just described the purpose of this post. Thank you for mulling, gnawing, deep-diving into the Isaiah scripture. When the lesson becomes clear, it makes everything fall into place!
Bless you, and thanks again.
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Janet,
I hope you had a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year’s celebration.
You hit the nail on the head with this post. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul writes that we are His workmanship, His wonderful creation, fashioned for good works, as He purposed before time began.
Thank you so much for all you’ve done, and all you continue to do as His workmanship!
David
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Thank you, sir. I love your Ephesians backup!
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