John 12:12 The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors 13 took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!Hail to the King of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: 15 “Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem.[h]Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.” 16 His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.
17 Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. 18 That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. 19 Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”
When God plans something that plan is perfect. What does perfect mean to you? Perfect (def) - having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be. God IS the definition of perfection, and as sinners He is totally unapproachable, yet He reaches down to us. Why? The reason is GOD IS LOVE. Not just love, but PERFECT love. PERFECTION. I love hearing these narcissists say "I am a perfectionist and that is my fault." They are not perfectionists, when it comes to most anything, and especially compared to Almighty God.
I used to watch a TV show called The A Team and the main characters favorite ending line after they completed yet another successfull mission was "I love it when a plan comes together." Then Hannibal would grin, bring his victory cigar to his mouth for one last drag. I know it was just a tv show, but in reality, no plan by any human is even close to perfect. ALL OF GOD'S PLANS ARE PERFECT!!
God's love is also displayed in how he keeps our needs and our requests in the mix. I can't' explain how all of that works this side of heaven, but it is understood by a little thing called FAITH. Jesus sent out His disciples and He sends us out equipped to share the gospel, and He said we will do more in sharing that gospel than He did. Which is why He sent the Holy Spirit to enlarge the message as the Holy Spirit goes with each of us with purpose, God's purpose. In this "sending" we will need specific things to happen at specific times in "real time." Part of God's perfect plan is to enable us to make requests in faith and those requests are made in the name of Jesus and God responds. I don't understand how God does this totally in real time, but I trust the source of the rules and He is perfect in all things. John 13:12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
One thing doesn't negate another thing, so God's will doesn't negate our requests, but perfects those requests to fit in God's perfect plan. Whew!! That was a mouthful and probably very confusing. Maybe what Jesus said in John 7 will clear it up some for you and me. Matthew 7:7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Part of God's perfect plan was generated by His desire to have connection with His creation, but that creation is flawed and He is perfect, so changes must be made. That is why we must be born again in the Spirit to reestablish this "perfect" relationship with Almighty God! The message of this change is recorded in Paul's letter to the church in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 5: 16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! We now look at this relationship with God through Spiritual eyes.
By the way, God is listening and we need to keep a current prayer life that involves sharing our needs, even though He knows them before we voice them. We need to learn to trust His will in our requests and know that the same God who gave His son for our forgiveness is still involved in our daily lives and our communication is very important to Him. John explained God's interaction with us, His creation, in 1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
To summarize. God is perfect. God's plan is perfect. God's ears work perfectly and He is listening. Everything is going according to His perfect plan, whether we understand it or not. This all should encourage and strenthen our faith, which is the ongoing plan anyway. God's supply is also perfect and He has more than enough to keep on supplying for each of us, whether we believe it or not. Paul was a vivid example of God's supply and care and He wrote of this very subject to the church in Philippi and here is what He said in the midst of being cared for by God, as He followed God's perfect plan. Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
May our testimony be like Paul's as we trust God to hear our prayers and respond to our prayers with a love we can't even understand. He didn't let Jesus down and there was a time when Jesus prayed this prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26:39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” Jesus DID die and Jesus WAS buried, but God came through and He ROSE from the dead and made a way for God's children to do the same thing. Once again, God's plan is PERFECT!!
Today's Message,
David Warren
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