What I’ve Learned Part 4: God’s Got Bigger Plans

As some of you know our church just completed a series Lost Investment which was designed to clarify and promote what it is we do in student ministry.  Originally I wanted to host the series in January/February figuring the momentum would allow us to have strong numbers and buzz amongst the students.  The decision only made sense; however, plans changed and the series got pushed back to late May early June.
Having the series pushed back was hard because I had expectations to grow the number of students (and going into the summer isn’t the time to do it), but at the same time God had a different plan.  It turns out his plan was to grow more adults in the student ministry.  During the 4 week series, 75 adults signed up to get involved in student ministry.  Because of this we will now have the capacity to take on more students.  Ratio in relationships mean deeper discussions and more focused discipleship.  Again I thought the best time for the series was in the middle of our season, but God knew it was at the end.
Realizing God has a bigger plan is hard to do and if we aren’t careful we can be the saboteurs of our own potential.  So to make sure that we are always seeking him and not just our own desires we need to:

• Spend Time With Him – When we spend time with him he is going to guide us to make the right decisions, even if it’s going against our grain.  We should be seeking out his wisdom on a regular basis.
• Go Back To The Vision – Sometimes we get so focused on our own plans that we forget about the vision that God has given to us.  It’s basically getting stuck in the details.  Many times we are looking at how much fruit we are currently producing, instead of looking at long term impact we can make.
• Be Flexible Yet Focused – It’s not always going to go the way you wanted it to go and that’s because you and I are not in total control.  Whenever a plan goes awry it’s good to know that either something on your end needs to be corrected or that God has a bigger plan for you.  Either way you should remain focused on God. 

If you expect a year of ministry to happen exactly as planned, you are naive.  Our plans are going to be small compared to God’s.  I’m not saying you can’t have vision and that it’ll never match up to God’s vision, but when life happens or plan A doesn’t work out, know that God has something bigger.


What are some of the obstacles you face in allowing God to work through your ministry?