I start off my day with a plan. Not anything strict or rigid, but a general outline of what tasks need to be tackled today. Most days that planning starts the night before, when I choose what time to set the alarm clock. First thing in the morning, I might decide what to take out of the freezer to fix for supper and remind those who might want clean clothes to take their baskets to the laundry room. I work from home, so my schedule can be somewhat flexible, but I still have to plan my workday or chaos will quickly find its way to me.
Routines are important for all of us. Routines provide stability and a framework for progress and success. I imagine this is one reason why the last couple of years have been so hard on all of us — our routines were disrupted by the pandemic and uncertainty took the place of stability. You could argue that children are especially vulnerable to disruptions in the routine, but I think changing the plan is hard on anyone of any age.
You may like spontaneity and stirring things up for a season, but there is calmness and unity in knowing there is a master plan.
When Jesus called His disciples, He threw their routines into chaos. Everything they had planned changed in the short time they listened and followed this new Teacher. Whatever their expectations at the start, every encounter opened another door of change and always kept them asking questions and anticipating the next step. When they watched Jesus crucified, everything collapsed into chaos, and I can only imagine how lost and confused they were. What happened to the plan?
Hope burst to life on the third day when Jesus conquered death and made Himself known to His followers! The disciples must have cried tears of relief to know that the plan was back on track!
Acts 1:6 brings everything they wanted back into focus: “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (NKJV)
Some master plan they had in their small worldview! Their own plans were so tiny when laid next to the Almighty Master Plan.
“It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you…” (Acts 1:7-8).
They didn’t need to know the plan because soon they would have the power of the Master Architect. If they had known the suffering which would soon come and the martyrdom headed toward them, they might have abandoned the plan altogether — without the empowering of the Holy Spirit they would not have had the courage to see the plan.
You don’t need to know the plan, my friend — you only need to receive the Power and let God do greater things than any of us in our small mindset can even imagine is possible.