ON THE VANGUARD

THE 5 W’s & 1 H
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
Jeremiah 29:11

Call me crazy, but I loved doing term papers in school. It is a joy that has never left, even now that I am years out of school. The fact of learning something new or digging deeper into a topic I already had some knowledge in thrilled me. But in each paper, my goal was always to find a way to answer the five W’s and one H. If you remember them, say them with me. Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Ah yes, some things are never forgotten. But then again, some things learned in school still apply to life even after the elementary and secondary school tests.
Through the prophet Jeremiah, God spoke to us that He had a plan for our life. It wasn’t just some old plan that was drawn years before and stuck on a shelf collecting dust, but rather was a plan for someone specific, someone like you. The blueprints show prosperity and safety, hope and a future. God is the Who, and His plan is the What. But then the question becomes our next W, When? We can somewhat ascertain that the Where is sometime in the future, but outside of that we cannot really narrow it down. And the Why is pretty obvious in that the answer is because of His love for us. Lastly we look at the How, and again we can get stuck.
Some people go out on their own and expect God to bless it. I will confess that I did that. When I was engaged to my first wife, I had a feeling that I was not fully listening to God. We had moments of hugs and kisses, but also had moments where we shared our frustrations with each other about each other. Now I know that arguments are normal in any relationship, but it seemed like we were constantly frustrated with each other. When the day of the wedding finally came, my mind was made up that I was going forward into marriage and because God hates divorce, God was going to have to make it work out. After nine years of marriage, we were still having the same arguments and did divorce. This is not a pattern I want to take into a second marriage, so I have no intention of going out on my own again and expecting God to bless it.
If we look at the apostle Paul, though, we see that he too had moments where he was in God’s will, and moments when he was not. In Acts 13:2, Paul and Barnabas were set aside by God to a work God had called them to. As they went on their first journey, God blessed them. But then look over at Acts 16:6-10 and we see that Paul had every intention of going into Asia but was prevented by the Spirit and led to Troas instead. His mind was made up, but God had a different plan. What if he had gone on his own into Asia? He may have been working for God, but in his own might.
God has a plan for us, but He doesn’t always tell us the W’s and H right away. If He did, would we be so overwhelmed and draw back in fear? Would we go forward on our own strength? God shares with us what we need to know for that moment; He shares enough with us to keep us coming back to Him for more direction. At a young age God told me that I would be a pastor, but He never told when, where, or how. These are still questions I seek Him concerning daily. In time He will share with me more of the plan He has, but for now I am to trust Him with what He has already told me. What has God told you? Are you moving ahead of Him on your own strength? Or are you seeking Him daily for the rest of the pieces that are needed to bring about His plan for your life? Jeremiah 33:3 says to call on the LORD and He will tell you the things you do not know. He just might not tell you all of it today.