plans

Psalm 138:1 I give you thanks, O LORD, with all my heart;
  I will sing Your praises before the gods.
2 I bow before Your holy Temple as I worship.
  I praise Your name for Your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for Your promises are backed
  by all the honor of Your name.
3 As soon as I pray, You answer me;
  You encourage me by giving me strength.

4 Every king in all the earth will thank You, LORD,
  for all of them will hear Your words.
5 Yes, they will sing about the LORD's ways,
  for the glory of the LORD is very great.
6 Though the LORD is great, He cares for the humble,
  but He keeps his distance from the proud.

7 Though I am surrounded by troubles,
  You will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out Your hand,
  and the power of Your right hand saves me.
8 The LORD will work out His plans for my life —
  for Your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever.
  Don't abandon me, for You made me.


(Put the emphasis on the capitalized words as you read this sentence in italics...)

The LORD will work out his plans for my life
   iow, the God of the universes is so intimately aware of the individuality of His creation, that He is actively involved in the minutia of each one of our lives

The Lord will work out HIS plans for my life
   I am less than a nano-speck in the cosmos, & yet the God of the universes has dreamed a dream for each of us, & will bring it all to fruition in each of our lives

The Lord WILL work out his plans for my life
   it's not an iffy thing of maybe He'll implement what He's dreamed, if He has the time - He is gonna make it happen in every one of us who surrender ourselves to His plans for us

The Lord will work out his plans for MY life
   His plans are specifically deigned for specifically me - His plans for not generic, one size fits all

The Lord will work out his PLANS for my life
   plans - plural, not singular

The Lord will WORK OUT his plans for my life
   He's gonna make "the planets align" so that the things He's dreamed for us happen in a sequence & order that will fit into the overarching scheme He has for humankind, while at the same time bring Him glory & renown, while taking our breath away as we watch it happen. as it says in Psalm 139:5 "God both precedes & follows me." iow, He's out there in the future working things out, & will go behind me & mop up the consequencs of my obedience.

The Lord will work out his plans for my LIFE
   this isn't just a one time shot for Him - He's got plans for the entire scope of my life, no matter how long or short, famous or obscure, multi-faceted or singular, glitteringly successful or seemingly boring - there's a plan for each and every season, segment, &/or moment of my life


and here's the kicker...

Though I am surrounded by troubles, You will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out Your hand, and the power of Your right hand saves me.

Think about all that on this 1st Sunday in the new year. I'll tell ya one thing - it's truth like this that's the only thing that's holding me together these days.