Plan B

Have you ever wondered, "Does God have any knowledge let alone plan for my broken life?"

We had quite the experience driving home for Christmas this year. The transmission in our van had been slipping. I took it to the shop on Friday knowing we were planning to leave on Saturday. The shop replaced a switch and it seemed to be working again. The next morning it was slipping again. I decided to go ahead and drive to Idaho and get it fixed there while we were visiting my folks. So we loaded up and took off. 2.5 hours later the transmission is gone and we are sitting on the side of the road calling roadside assistance. What are we going to do now God? I prayed about this, I thought it was going to be OK. What do we do now?

Well God had a plan B for the trip. First a little Subaru from Montana pulled up with two bible school students in it. A lovely woman in here 40s and a young college student. They prayed over us and then took Laura and Lorelai all the way to Postfalls where my mom picked them up arriving at my parents house at 3am. It was a good thing too, because I sat on the side of I-84 for 3 hours before the tow came and didn't get back to Portland until 2am. Big thanks to my friends who brought me home at 2am!

I made a dumb choice, I knew the transmission was slipping, a friend had offered to let me take his car (which I did the next day with mine in the shop), and I went anyway. Yet God still worked with me any way, he took care of us through his body of believers.

In Job 39 God speaks of his intimate knowledge of some of his creatures. Well he questions Job about them in ways that show his intimate knowledge of them. One of the things I find interesting in this passage is some of the instincts these animals posses are post fall instincts. The war horse charging into battle, the eagle feeding its young on the blood of other creatures. These were not things these animals were created to do before the coming of sin. We know this because death is a result of sin and there is a promise of the time to come when lamb will lay down with the lion and have no fear.

So God knows the state of the post fall animal kingdom and he gives them the instincts they need for plan B. Just as he know the state of the post blowing up of my transmission and had a plan B. This goes even further of course. God knows us as intimately as the animals mentioned in this chapter of Job. In the same way he moves in them and adapts to provide for them so he does for us.

Maybe you feel like you are on plan Z by now. May you find the faith to know God knows you and he has a plan and a purpose for you. For it is by grace we are saved through faith which in itself is a gift from God lest anyone should boast. We are his handiwork recreated in Christ Jesus to do the things he has planned for us from the beginning.

Lean into God today ask him to move you in his ways and may you find his provision new every morning.