Be assured that God is always with His children, taking care of them, guiding and directing them. He promises in Hebrews 13:5b (NKJV), “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. “Never” means under no circumstances. This is a type of promise no human being can make to another person. Even Apostle Peter who was a firebrand for Jesus Christ had to deny Him when things became tough.
God made this assertion because He had already concluded His good plans for us. He says, in Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV), “For I know the thoughts that I think toward, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God’s heart is full of good thoughts for us. Can you imagine continuously thinking of the welfare of your child or loved one? Of course, you can do that but you cannot always make your thoughts or plans come through. But God is omniscient and omnipotent and can make His plans to come through.
As long as God, who knows the future, provides our plans, He goes with us to fulfil His purpose. This does not mean that we will be spared pain, suffering or hardship but God will see us through. Sometimes when we experience challenges, it appears that God’s own perfect plan is no longer working out. Do not be discouraged or disappointed because God has His own strategies to execute His good plans for your life.
It does not matter whether some people have conspired to betray you, or how many times you have tried and failed in an endeavor, or even if Satan is against you, my friend, you must overcome and laugh last. If your competitors have devised a means of frustrating you, it will never come to pass because God has a good plan for you. His plans have already taken into consideration all those forces that will militate against you. Hebrews 13:6 (NKJV) says, “So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
Do not allow Satan to put fear into you. God has not given us the spirit of fear. Your doubts, anxieties and hopelessness are all the works of the evil one. At all times rest your faith and confidence on the One who is able to do all things according to His own plans, which no one can change.
I love what Job says in Job 23:13-14 “But He is unchangeable, and who can turn Him? And what He wants to do, that He does. For He performs that which He planned for me, and many of such matters He is mindful.” God knows and He determines the end from the beginning.
Sometimes, I recall how God works out His plans for me. During my Higher School Certificate (HSC) course (1959-1960), my uncle/guardian had planned that I would take Physics, Chemistry and Zoology to study Medicine and become the first medical doctor in my town. Even though I had no flair for Medicine, I worked hard to pass my subjects well.
However, when applying for university admission in 1961, I avoided my uncle and entered for Chemistry at the then University College Ibadan (UCI) and Zoology at University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN). When I heard that the University of Ife was starting B.Pharm degree that year, I also applied. Of course, I was admitted in all the universities. When my uncle realised what I did, he engaged me in serious counselling to choose Medicine for obvious advantages. Eventually, I reluctantly agreed and decided to resume teaching and wait till the next session.
I wrote politely to the Head of Department of Pharmacy, University of Ife, thanking him for the offer of admission but to fill up my place because I did not have enough money to take it up. He replied immediately that Pfizer Products Ltd had offered me a very generous scholarship. Based on this scholarship I had another series of discussions with my uncle. I persuaded him that even though I did not want to practise Medicine or Pharmacy, my ambition was to be one of the first pharmacy graduates in the country. I had no idea what to do with the degree. Eventually, he prayed for me and got me ready for Ibadan Campus of the University of Ife in October.
In 1961 I did not know God’s plans for my life. However, from that time He has been taking me through various paths to the direction He had planned for me.
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