Mike Novotny - God Messes With Your Plans
And God might mess with your plans, too. For your family, your job, your health, your entire life. But he's made you a promise. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, literally, in the place where Jesus' feet touched. I saw some amazing places. The old city of Jerusalem. In the Garden of Gethsemane. Beautiful Nazareth. At the Mount of Beatitudes. Capernaum, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. And I can't wait to share these video devotions with you.
Does God ever mess with your plans? I'm here on the Mediterranean coast, at the ancient city of Caesarea, and I planned to have a peaceful day with no wind blowing directly into my microphone. But, God sometimes messes with your plans. He did that to the Apostle Paul too. If you've ever read the book of Acts, you might know that Paul was preaching the good news of Jesus and crazy things were happening. Churches were being started. The last people on earth you'd expect to believe in Jesus are believing. Paul goes back to Jerusalem to bring an offering to the poor, suffering Christians there, and then what happened? Well, God messed with his plans.
Paul was arrested for a crime that he didn't commit. And then he was dragged here, simply to save his life. To Caesarea, where he sat not for a day or two, or a week or two. Paul didn't sit here for a month or two. The Bible says that Paul sat here for more than a year or two. Just sitting. In the prime of his preaching ministry. Just sitting in a jail cell, at Herod's ancient palace, here at Caesarea. But when God messes with your plans, it's because he has better plans. You might know that when Paul was arrested, he ended up sailing over the Mediterranean Sea and he ended up in Rome. And while he was under arrest in Rome, he wrote some of the best things in the Bible.
Now, let me give you just one proof. The book of Philippians was written during this time in Paul's life, where Paul said this. Yeah, Paul's plans got messed with. But God had a greater plan. And God might mess with your plans too. For your family, your job, your health, your entire life. But he's made you a promise. That because of Jesus, he has plans for you. Plans to give you hope and a future.
So, don't be afraid. Don't give up your joy. Don't be anxious. Don't worry about anything. Instead, have that peace that goes beyond all understanding. Because you know that your Father in heaven always has plans. And this place, Caesarea, it's the proof.