Is It Always Possible to Remain in God's Plan and Purpose?

Time doesn’t always present an opportunity to assess how trouble can be managed best. In a documentary on predators, a wolf had stripped away a large piece of meat from a dead animal. As she stopped to enjoy her meal, an eagle promptly swooped down and snatched the meat from her.

As a young man, David was naïve enough to believe Saul would never think of him as a rival. Saul was David’s father-in-law and the father of his best friend Jonathan. Imagine Saul, in a fit of rage, hurling a spear at David with the psychotic intent to kill him!

A strategy David tested to sidestep Saul’s jealousy was to walk away. Sidestepping a conflictual situation can symbolize God’s willingness to help in times of trouble. 

While David was never able to be at peace with Saul, David remained faithful to God’s plan and purpose by being a man after God’s own heart. You can remain in God’s favor as well when faced with trouble.                     

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Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings as eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.

~Isaiah 40:30-31 New International Version

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The sixteenth century Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon was convinced a fountain of youth was hidden somewhere in Florida. If he could find it, he would remain young and wealthy. Instead, he was killed at age forty-seven by a Florida Indian’s arrow. De Leon and those who financed his search believed staying young and wealthy guaranteed happiness.

Our obsession with youth and happiness is actually an attempt to create a life worth living. Happiness derives from the Latin root hap, which means subject to change as circumstances change. In other words, happiness can fluctuate according to events and situations.

As we age, the more challenging it may become to recall the uncertainty and unpredictability of our youth. Aging may also generate a longing for the chance to choose again a life worth living. Personal satisfaction with who we are, is dependent on how well we serve others and the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for us, which gives us a life worth living.  

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Even young people get tired, then stumble and fall.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.

They will be strong like eagles, soaring upward on wings;

They will walk and run without getting tired.

~Isaiah 40:30-31 Contemporary English Version

I am confident of this: that the One who has begun his good work in you will go on developing it until the day of Jesus Christ.

~Philippians 1:6 Phillips – New Testament in Modern English