God Has A Purpose

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” – Proverbs 19:21

You feel overwhelmed sometimes. Overwhelmed at the interminability of the days, stretching on, bare in the worst ways and full in the hardest ones. You are surrounded by bodies, yet alone. Every day feels like an enormous effort, calling for vast reserves within yourself that you wake up some mornings not sure that you possess. 

Is this time a surprise to you? Was it not what you were expecting this year? It is not a surprise to God. It is fully within the intention of his purpose for you. God knew this time was coming. It is not a surprise to him. He has prepared you for it whether you know it or not.

The temptation to speculate as to the nature of those purposes is strong. And maybe even now you see that something unique is happening, things being unearthed, gifts being exercised, in the crucible of it all. But that is not mostly the point. The point, for today, is just to know that many are the plans in your mind, but what will stand in your life is the purpose of God for you. And he surely has one. 

“You are living through an unusual time… You see that, for the time being, you have to be limited in your movements… It is a new experience for you to feel both the desire and its unreality. You sense that nothing but God’s love can fulfil your deepest need while the pull to other people and things remains strong. It seems that peace and anguish exist side by side in you, that you desire both distraction and prayerful concentration… You know that something totally new, truly unique, is happening within you. It is clear that something in you is dying and something is being born… You feel a strange sadness. An enormous loneliness emerges, but you are not frightened. You feel vulnerable but safe at the same time. Jesus is where you are, and you can trust that he will show you the next step” (pp 15-16, The Inner Voice of Love, Henri Nouwen).