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I think God has a general plan.

I don't think God micromanages 6 billion people.

I actually p[refer to say that God has a hope for my life

AMEN to GordW

Yes, God has a plan for my life.  Is it a day-to-day plan?  Probably not - I don't know.  The real point for me is that I have been given the choice to follow God's plan or not and that I must be in relationship with God to hearken to it in the myriad ways she/he communicates it to me.

Hi iWonder,

Yes I believe that God has a plan for my life. Of course I believe that God has a plan for every life.

I believe God created this plan before the very beginning of the cosmos. God considered all the possible worlds He could create, and then made the one of his choice.

I believe God brings His Sovereign plan about using our own free will. He puts the circumstances into action in which He knows that we will freely choose one thing over another.

Peace in Christ.

I believe God has a plan for us . (It is for are good and his Glory).--- Jamesk and Birthstone. Some times things that happen make us stronger, it may hurt somtimes .Like about a month ago, I lost a sister 4 day later I lost a littel girl grand child.I don't know why some things happen. But I believe God is in charge , when I look around I see many worst off than me and I thank God for his blessings.

Hi Birthstone,

You've raised a good question there. Why would a just and loving God allow suffering in his plan?

I believe he does so to bring about the greater good. Suffering can lead to grown in character, which can lead to a better society for all. Chief on his list of why to allow suffering, however, is I believe God's desire that as many people as possible are given eternal life through Jesus Christ. I hold that God can use suffering in a person's life as a way to bring that person to accept Jesus into their heart.

Peace in Christ.

Agreed that God is not a puppetmaster.

Strength and courage to you, airclean...that's a rough patch, to say the least.

I'm with Gord W. on this one...

If there is a "plan" for everything, including my life, don't think it's the kind of plan that controls what happens. It's more like what Gord said; it's what "God" hopes will happen. Through revelation and other means, "God" may try to reveal that plan to us and guide us in a particular direction but he has no guarantee we will go there. And, yes, like any good plan, it may need tweaking and tinkering from time to time as things evolve. But, as I said at the start of the post, that's assuming there is a "plan" at all. I do not personally see any sign of an overall plan for mine or any other life, but I cannot completely rule out the existence of such a plan either. It could be very subtle or very complex such that I haven't discerned enough of it yet to know it's there.

Mendalla

God's plan was to give us brains so we could make plans to honour the life we were given.

Hi waterfall,

That's a good point. I do agree -- it is part of God's plan to let us make plans. He has given us free will.

Peace in Christ.

Good point, waterfall!

The self-creative Cosmos, a.k.a. God, created in us an organ that is almost as limitlessly self-creative as the power that created it.

Now all we got to do is put this organ to good and godly and creative use.

If there is a plan, I think it's more of a blue print or map to guide me rather than something absolute. 

Jae said   " In any case, I believe God chiefly uses suffering to bring people to accept Jesus. The building of character is quite a secondary thing. I believe that God's chief end is to bring glory to himself, not to us."

Wow, Jae, your concept of God sounds like a childish narcissist to me. 

I firmly believe that GOD has a plan for my life. I have the free will as to follow it or not. I think a lot of the suffering and such in life comes when we don't follow GOD's plan. Obviously that wouldn't be the case for babies and children, but it's frequently the case as to why things are bad in an adults life. As for the rest, sometimes the plan is very difficult or even painful but I believe GOD has a good result down the road. I also believe that when we are off HIS path, HE will give us a way back on, although it may be challenging. That's very relevant to something a friend of mine is dealing with now.

Hi iWonder@Cafe,

Well, judging by appearances God might.  All my plans failed to come to fruition just as I planned them.

I don't think that God is a puppeteer pulling all strings.  I am not a pre-determinist.

I do believe that there is a place that God intends for me to reach and that God will nudge and hint as much as needed to keep me on or get me on track to reaching that destination.

Grace and peace to you.

John

I would love it if God had a specific plan for me.  I am at a crossroads of life and would love some Divine support and direction. However, I do not believe God, like Witch said, micromanages us.  I believe God has hope for Her creation.  For me, this is the only response that makes sense.

I believe your son's journey would be hopeless without you, his mother. Or for any child that didn't have someone to intervene to make the suffering less.

Oh that we could just focus our whole world to listen to what God would have us do.

Hi Daisy Jane,

You wrote:

"For me, God is not in the suffering but in the journey.  Sometimes that journey includes suffering simply because suffering is part of the human condition. Suffering simply "is" and it just plain sucks and I think God agrees."

God's agreement with your contention that "suffering sucks" can be found in the Bible's shortest verse:  "Jesus wept."  It can be found in the story of Lazarus and Jesus' weeping was in response to the suffering the family  &  friends of Lazarus felt at their loved ones passing.  For those who see my suffering and say, "You'll be a better person for it,"  I reply, "SHADDUP!"

Hi revjohn,

How do you reconcile that thinking with your being a strict Calvinist (who holds that (and please correct me if I'm wrong) God saves people against their free will)? Do you not see that as puppeteering?

Peace in Christ.

Hi Jae,

Pre-destination is the pre-setting of a destination.  I will get to place A even if I do not know the way.

Pre-determinism is the pre-setting of every decision that I will ever make.  I will make choice A because there is no alternative for me to make choice A.

The free-will argument is a non-starter in fallen individuals unless the will is above the stain of sin.  If your will is free then you are quite capable of being perfect and you only choose not to be.  If that actually is the case I would hope to see some evidence of it somewhere in the world.  Heck, I'd even settle for seeing some of it here at the WonderCafe.  

As to the charge of puppeteering.

When a fire-fighter pulls an individual from a burning building are they playing puppet master?

When a doctor starts a heart that has stopped beating are they playing puppet master?

I would argue that they are not simply because neither typically sets the blaze to save individuals from it or stops their heart just to restart it again and therefore force the other into some sense of obligation.

Pre-determinism is puppeteering since it is the puppet master that controls all variables.  Pre-destination only ensures that I will arrive at a specific place.  It does not control every step between the first and the last.

Grace and peace to you.

John

Hi rev.,

Thank you for your answers. Going by your descriptions above, I guess I believe more in pre-determinism. I don't believe God leads us to make choice A though because there is no alternative. I believe he sets the conditions in place wherein he knows we will choose choice A.

I would write more but I'm about to be kicked out of the library.

Peace in Christ.

Childish narcissist is too kind. Where I come from, we call that kind of person a jacka** or worse. It's another reason why I don't believe in a transcendant, judgmental, controlling God.

I can agree with this wholeheartedly up to the first period. I can also buy the second sentence from the word "our" onwards (I don't believe we were born in a fallen state, but do believe selfishness causes a lot of suffering). I do not agree with the third sentence at all. Jesus and other prophets were sent to teach and guide us, not rescue us. The rescuing ultimately comes from us realizing that we exist in relationship to all that is and living that relationship with compassion and responsibility.

Mendalla