GOD HAS A MASTER PLAN
Exodus 10:1&2
Lyndon Johnson was the President of the United States of America during the 1960’s. He was quite famous for his love of speed. Once Evangelist Dr. Billy graham and his wife were invited to his farmhouse in Texas. This farmhouse was located by the side of a river amidst lush green surroundings. While the dinner was getting ready, President Lyndon took the Graham couple for a car ride around his farm. We know that farms usually have only country roads, and the President took his open car and started speeding up through ups and downs. Sometimes even hitting the branches of trees, he sped past his farm in full speed. Suddenly he took the car towards the riverbed, and without any warning turned right onto the water. The speed was so high that the car kept moving over the water for a few seconds before they came back to the riverbed.
After coming back to the farmhouse, the President had something to say to the Graham couple. He said that whenever he hit the water most people jumped out. He was actually surprised that these people didn’t jump out. Hearing this Dr.Billy graham’s wife Ruth answered. “You are the President of the United States. I figured you knew what you were doing”. I figured you knew what you were doing.
I hope you understood the underlying meaning of these words. Whenever we come across troubles in life, it may be small or big, we tend ask God many questions. We would say I don’t want to continue like this. Some people even put a full stop for their Christian life. But if God is the President of your life, the one who made the heavens and earth, the one who made the whole universe, the one who created you and me, the unchanging God almighty if he is in the driving seat, He knows very clearly what he is doing in your life.
Many of us have heard of Fanny Crosby. She had lost her eyesight at the age of six due to the negligence of the doctor who treated her. She didn’t give up but started writing Christian songs. More than 8000 wonderful songs came out of her pen and many of them were hits in the U.S. One day her friend , she was a musician, came to see her. After a while she started playing a tune in the instrument. After playing this lady asked Fanny. “What do you say about this tune?” After meditating for a while, Fanny said, “Yes this tune is telling me something. You know what it is-
‘BLESSED ASSURANCE JESUS IS MINE
OH WHAT A FORTASTE OF GLORY DEVINE’
Within a few minutes this wonderful song came into being. Fanny was blind, she couldn’t see this beautiful world, but she was very sure in one thing that who is guiding her. It was her blessed assurance.
All of us have certain plans for our life. Some would say I want to become an engineer. Some would say I want to become a doctor, some would say I want to become an accountant and so on and so forth. Even nations do plan. In India we have the five-year plans through which the nation tries to achieve certain targets within that period. In town planning, there is something called the master plan. Top brains in the field; sweat their brains out to make a comprehensive plan, which decides how this city should develop in the next 25 or even 50 years.
God has a master plan for our life. This Holy Bible is full of characters, whose lives were really master planned by God almighty in many different ways. When we surrender our plans to God, when we learn to trust God, this master plan starts working.
All of us know about Moses. He was not an ordinary man. He grew up in a palace. Must’ve had good education, may be a degree in martial arts from the King Pharaoh Military Academy. May be he knew how to ride the latest model Egyptian chariots ranging from 2 horse power to 16 horse power. But when God decided to use him to deliver his people, he needed a different kind of training. He had to travel through the desert all the way to Midian, possibly passing even the mount Horeb to reach there. If you study the map it is almost the same area, the Israelites went through towards the Promised Land. Then in Midian he was given a herd of sheep to look after. Moses started climbing mountains and walked miles and miles to find pasture and water for his sheep in the wilderness. Sleepless nights became quite often. He was actually humbled. We see a picture of this Moses in Exo.3: 6. Let’s read that verse. Moses was trying to hide his face.
Then the Lord asked him- what is that in your hand? A staff he replied.
We know that when he put the staff on the ground, it became a snake. He was experiencing a miracle at close quarters with God. It turned out to be a big step in trusting God. That staff was actually teaching him the power of the almighty. We read in
Exo.4: 17, God reminds him to take this staff to Egypt.
When Moses went and asked Pharaoh for just 3 days leave to go to the wilderness for offering sacrifices to the living God, the result was a disaster. The Israelites were asked to make bricks without the usual supply of straw.
God started working through the staff. We know that how the staff became a snake, and even swallowed the staffs of the Egyptian sorcerers, in the presence of Pharaoh. There was no change in Pharaoh’s decisions. Then followed the plagues one by one. Moses used the same staff to strike the river Nile and the waters became blood. Aaron stretched this staff over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came and covered the land even inside Pharaoh’s palace.
Then Aaron stretched out the staff and struck the dust of the ground as God commanded Moses, and there came gnats upon men and animals. This time even the magicians told Pharaoh that it is the finger of God. But Pharaoh’s heart was becoming harder and harder. God sent the plague of flies, and flies ruined the land. Then came the plague on livestock, which killed the entire livestock of the Egyptians.
When Pharaoh’s heart was becoming harder, here in the camp of Israel, Moses started experiencing the power of God and each time his trust in God was increasing. Not only his trust, the whole Israel’s faith was increasing.
Then God sent the plague of boils, and when Moses lifted up his staff to the sky, God sent thunder and a heavy storm which Egypt was experiencing for the first time in history. Pharaoh’s heart was still the same. Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and locusts were brought in throughout the land. And then it was the plague of darkness and the plague on the firstborn, before the Israelites were allowed to go.
Why all these plagues? God could’ve done only the last plague and delivered the Israelites. But there was a master plan of God behind these. We see it in Exo. 10:1 & 2. Let’s read those verses. This explains God’s intention. All these plagues were actually masterminded by the God almighty.
Then came the Red sea. People were really terrified. In their front it is the roaring Red sea, on either side huge mountains and at their back, they could sea clouds of dust rising into the air, the chariots were approaching. We also notice a very strong relationship between Moses and the staff, which he was carrying. The same staff, which he had when he stood in the presence of God near the burning bush. This staff symbolised a meaningful, trustworthy and obedient relationship between Moses and God. Moses knew very well, that as long as he has this staff of faith, there is no need to worry.
He raised his staff and stretched over the sea, and this time a third force started acting. Let’s read Exo.14: 21. A strong east wind, which actually cut across the Red sea, it was as simple as cutting a cake into two pieces. The roaring Red sea has turned into a living aquarium with walls of water on both sides. The Israelites passed joyfully through the first ever-living aquarium fashioned by the strong east wind.
Then we see the staff, when the Israelites had no water. Moses struck the rock and water came out of the rock. When Amalakites attacked the Israelites, Moses stood with the staff of God in hand and there was victory.
Time went by. Moses was called many times to the mount Sinai and he enjoyed the close relationship with God. Whenever he climbed the mountain, he must’ve had this staff of faith helping him to reach there. The laws were given and years passed, the journey was still on. Every rule was established in detail through Moses, which became the foundation of the Jewish nation.
They were nearing the river Jordan. Moses pleaded desperately to God to allow him to cross the Jordan. He had every right to ask so; because it was under his leadership they reached up to that point. We read this in Duetr. 3: 24&25. He was pleading; But Moses was not allowed to cross the river Jordan. After transferring all his responsibilities to Joshua, Moses climbed the mount Nebo for his last journey. He must’ve leaned on to that staff which he was carrying. Climbing with a sorrowful heart and an unfulfilled ambition. He was 120 years old. His wrinkled face became brighter and brighter as he approached the presence of God on the top of Pisgah. After seeing the Promised Land from the mountain, Moses died in the hands of his everlasting portion.
In our native church in India, we have a system of giving testimonies on Sundays. Any believer could stand up and say what God has done for them in the past week. There was an old lady, who used to give her testimony almost every Sunday. Whenever she stood, she had one particular song to sing before giving her testimony. It was like this in Malayalam -
“DHAIVAM SAKALAVUM NANMAKKAI CHEYYUNNU
BHAKTHANMAR EHE ENTHINALAYYUNNU VALAYYUNNU”
The meaning is almost like this -
“MY GOD DOES EVERYTHING FOR GOOD
THERE IS NO REASON TO WORRY FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM”
Her life was not a smooth ride, it was full of struggles but her faith and hope in God was really great. She knew deep in her heart that her God does everything for good.
Yes my God does everything for good. Almost 1500 years had passed after Moses’ death. Jesus Christ came into this world, born as Mary’s son in the Promised Land. Time was nearing for his death on the cross for the whole mankind. God decided to send someone to strengthen Jesus. I believe it was an old decision made on the mount Pisgah. What do we read in Luke. 9: 30,31&32. Let’s read those verses. This was God’s master plan. Moses’ wish to touch the Promised Land was fulfilled in a glorious way, with Jesus, the Son of God by his side.
Yes God has a master plan for each one of us. If He knows when a hair falls off your scalp, if He knows your sitting and rising up, if He had seen you before you were formed in your mother’s belly, and if He has drawn you on His own palm, He has a master plan for you. We need to make sure that the unchanging God is guiding us everyday. We need make sure that we trust him completely, because he does everything for good. May God bless all of us with these words.
