Did you ever think, why? Why didn't God have a plan B? Does he have a plan B? After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden wasn't that end of God's plan; the plan to dwell with and fellowship with His creation? Once sin began to entangle and infuse itself into the world, God couldn't have that same fellowship, yet He never gave up on us, His creation. The Lord is always giving us glimpses of His love and His desire for us to be near Him, creating structures, symbols, and relationships to reflect His love and desire to be near us.
One interesting thing I have learned in my current Bible study, is that God loves us so much, and wants to be near, and have fellowship with us, that He is constantly creating ways to get closer. He uses symbols to keep us reminded of Him or to give us glimpses of the Heavenly Realms where He resides. The Lord uses copies and shadows of the heavenly things. Hebrews 8:5 recounts how Moses was instructed to build the portable tabernacle where He could fellowship with His people: "They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’” (Hebrews 8:5)
The Tabernacle and the things to be placed in it and around it was a copy and shadow or pattern straight from God in His heavenly realm. The garden of Eden built by God, for Adam and Eve, where He could fellowship with them, is another copy and shadow of the heavenly realm. If you look at the description of Eden in Genesis and the description of New Jerusalem in Revelations they both contain a river and the Tree of Life. Eden and the Tabernacle both had an East Gate that was guarded.
Once Adam and Eve were kicked out of Eden, the gate wad protected by Cherubim wielding fiery swords, to keep them from returning and taking from the Tree of Life. The Tabernacle contained the contained the lamp stand that not only represented the tree of life but had rich symbolism about who God is. God's use of symbolism is to keep us reminded of Him. Each of the seven branches on the lamp stand represents the seven (perfect number of completion) attributes of God, with the center one standing by itself as the Spirit if God, surrounded by the other six: wisdom, understand, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear.
Through out the ages God has been trying to get closer to us. However, due to our sin nature, there is a separation. A separation that is caused by that sin that took hold of the world in the time of Adam and Eve. As plan A continued, Jesus came to make a way for us to be reconciled to God so that we can again have that fellowship. Sadly, each time God creates new ways to be near, man finds a way to mess it up. Jesus is the final way, it is only through Him that we will have that fellowship that will last into eternity. It is through Jesus, God the Father continues to pursue a relationship with us.
There is one problem, we are human and by our very nature we will continue the cycle of sin. Unless we desire God and the blessings He has for our lives, more than our life itself, and accepting the gift of God's son, Jesus we won't get to experience the closeness and the presence of God.
While our sin separated us from God, He never had a plan B. We're still living plan A! I know as much as I seem to fail in life, each failure, if I let it, pulls me further away from God. Who, by now must have exhausted an alphabet of plans and had to borrow letters or characters from other non-English alphabets, to keep me going. Especially after today, I fell pretty hard. I'm still trying to brush the dust off.
However, even though on days like today when it is hard to believe, and the life plan doesn't seem to line up just right, either the way we planned or thought God was planning, we (I) need to remember to praise God. (Especially after I did the complete opposite today). When it doesn't line up the way you thought, hoped and prayed it would, know God has a better plan for you. (Boy, I said something like that in small group last Monday, how quickly my human heart forgot!) Good thing He’s not surprised at the turn of events, of what has come our (my) way, or how you’ve (I've) reacted to it. I'm still a part of plan A, we're still a part of plan A and He is still creating ways to show us His love, pulling us along until the day we get to see Him face to face and He can say, "well done good and faithful servant."
Look around and see what He is doing in your very midst: your friends, where you work, through your relationships, and the place you live. Find out what He’s doing. It's very hard for me to see today, yet I know and trust He has a calling, that purpose and plan spoken about in Jeremiah 29:11. God knows what you need more than you do. Not only does he have a better view of the bigger picture, don't forget, in His need to be near us and love us in the flesh, He came as Jesus! "Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted."(Hebrews 2:17,18) not only did Jesus allow himself to be tempted, while hanging on that cross he felt the weight of the world's sin, pain, and suffering. He felt and experience everything we could ever go through. If he knows what it's like to be broken, then He knows what will fix us. With that knowledge, Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father praying on our behalf.
He still gives us glimpses, copies and shadows, of what's to come today. Some of these copies and shadows include our marriages, they are to mirror His love and devotion for us, as described in Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3. His Word is full of not just stories, but examples and symbols of His love. Even the structure of the church is to keep us encouraged in moving forward in that love He has for us, even when we can't see or feel it.
2 Timothy goes on to say, " who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" ( 2 Timothy 1:9). The grace and calling were there before time began! That is when Plan A was set in place. God created time and space for mankind. Through out that time and space we have been given glimpses copies and shadows of great things to come in our life as well as the great love He has for us each day. So, although things didn't go as planned today, I know and trust God has a better plan, plans to prosper, not to harm, plans to give you hope and a future like it says in Jeremiah 29. Look for the copies, shadows and symbols along the way. It's part of the great adventure! Life.
He still gives us glimpses, copies and shadows, of what's to come today. Some of these copies and shadows include our marriages, they are to mirror His love and devotion for us, as described in Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3. His Word is full of not just stories, but examples and symbols of His love. Even the structure of the church is to keep us encouraged in moving forward in that love He has for us, even when we can't see or feel it.
2 Timothy goes on to say, " who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" ( 2 Timothy 1:9). The grace and calling were there before time began! That is when Plan A was set in place. God created time and space for mankind. Through out that time and space we have been given glimpses copies and shadows of great things to come in our life as well as the great love He has for us each day. So, although things didn't go as planned today, I know and trust God has a better plan, plans to prosper, not to harm, plans to give you hope and a future like it says in Jeremiah 29. Look for the copies, shadows and symbols along the way. It's part of the great adventure! Life.
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