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Message from Pastor Matthew Marohl

‘I have a plan’

By Pastor Matthew Marohl

“God has a plan.” I have heard these words countless times. I have thought about them. I have wrestled with the idea. Does God have a plan? This phrase seems to be shared most frequently during difficult times. It is often in bad situations when we hear, “God has a plan.” Perhaps we use these words when we don’t know what else to say. Faced with the reality of unemployment, illness, divorce, or countless other painful situations, we draw a blank. We look into the eyes of friends or family members and we simply don’t know what to say. So, we draw upon something that sounds reassuring: “God has a plan.”

I have been on the receiving end of this phrase. My father died in 2000 of cancer. As people nervously greeted me at the funeral, many shared the phrase, “God has a plan.” I politely smiled and shook hands, but I did think to myself… “Is this really God’s plan?” Does God plan for people to suffer? What was meant to sound reassuring was actually troubling. Was this God’s plan?

“God has a plan.” This phrase is also used during good times. When couples fall in love, when an exciting new adventure is revealed, new jobs, new opportunities, we return to the phrase, “God has a plan.” As we look at the smiles and hear the laughter of friends and family members, we proclaim with joy that God is indeed a good planner.

I have been on the receiving end of this phrase in good times, too. My wife and I were married for 12 years when she became pregnant. Just days after moving to the Quad Cities, we found out that Sarah was pregnant. I called our friends and our family. And, you guessed it, I heard over and over again, “See… God has a plan.” Again, I thought to myself, “Isn’t it easy to use this phrase when things go well, when things work out?”

So, does God have a plan? Perhaps that is the wrong question. Perhaps we should ask, “What does it mean to have a plan?” There are many ways to approach this question, this issue. Humor me and let me use a personal example. As a new father, I do have a plan for my daughter. I want her to make friends. I want her to enjoy school. I want her to grow in her faith. I want to protect her from the “brokenness” of the world. I want her to have jobs that she enjoys. I want her to have a family that she loves. I look decades into her future, and I want health and happiness. More than want, I am even planning for these things. Will they happen? I don’t know.

There is, of course, free will. And, there is sin, brokenness in this world. I can’t promise her or myself that my “plan” will work out. But, I have made a personal pledge, a fatherly pledge, to do whatever I can to make my plan a reality. More than that, I have made a pledge that if things do not work out, if there is heartache and heartbreak, I will be there for her. I will love her and hug her. I will laugh with her and cry with her. I do have a plan for Noa. I don’t know if that plan will play out as I hope that it does, but I pledge that I will never leave her.

So, does God have a plan? Yes! I firmly believe that God has a plan for us. In an infinitely grand and gracious manner, God plans for our wholeness, our happiness. God plans for our joy. But, it is not that simple. Sometimes there is brokenness. Sometimes there is pain. How does God respond? God has made a pledge, a covenant, that we will never be alone. God has made a pledge, a covenant, that love and forgiveness will be heaped upon us. Sometimes plans change. Sometimes plans get altered. But, God’s love is steadfast.

Pastor Matthew Marohl,

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