Five Year Plan

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“Lord, you have examined me. You know me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. You study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways. There isn’t a word on my tongue, Lord, that you don’t already know completely. You surround me—front and back.  You put your hand on me. That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it’s so high above me that I can’t fathom it.”

- Psalm 139:1-6 CEB -


I am a planner. I function best when I have multiple to-do lists, a detailed calendar, and I know what I need to do months in advance. Part of the reason I do this, is because it seems like there is always a billion things to do and a lot of pressure to succeed. I’m also an obsessive planner because it helps me cope with stress. We have so much pressure to be successful in life and to have our whole future planned out. I get a lot of comfort by being able to list of my 5-year plan to someone who asks. I feel accomplished for thinking I know exactly what is going to happen in my future. But, what happens when that 5-year plan changes? Or when you have no idea where to start with a plan for the future? That is why I love this section from Psalms. It is a reminder that our 5-year plan can be completely destroyed, but that it’s going to be okay. God knows each and every one of us so well. He knows how we think, how we feel, he understand us better than we understand ourselves. It is important to plan for, and think about the future. Thinking about what you want to do with your life is a pretty reasonable thing to be stressed over. That being said, it is so important to build a foundation rooted in God. When we build a strong foundation, we can stand tall when something comes in and demolishes our plan. My favorite part of this section from Psalms, is when it says “You surround me—front and back.  You put your hand on me”. How comforting is it to know God is there giving you a big bear hug all the time. God is there for us in our planned moments, and our unplanned moments. He is there when we complete our 5-year plan, and he is there every time we get off track, or feel like we have failed. We will make mistakes. We will make poor decisions. We will feel like we have failed. In all of those moments where we feel defeated, God is there wrapping his arms around us. When we build a foundation in God, we can lean on Him for support through the stress and pressure we face. When we rely on God we can stop relying on things like a planner or 5-year plan. Planners last a year, but God is forever!
To Read More:  Psalm 139: 13-18

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