Where is that written?

My spontaneous reaction to such a statement today is very sober. When someone tells me about God’s plan for my life, I ask where that plan is laid out? I did look for it, but didn’t find anything with my name on it.

The answer “It’s in the Bible, isn’t it?” simply falls short. If one claims that God has a plan for my personal life, where does it say that? Where can this be found? Then come the evasive answers, the generalizations. However, there is no answer.

It reminds me a bit of the book and movie by Douglas Adams “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. There are many absurd situations in this science fiction movie. Right at the beginning a space fleet appears in front of the earth and via loudspeaker mankind is made aware that the earth is about to be blown up to make room for an intergalactic bypass. Plans for this had already been available for 50 years in the responsible planning office in Alpha Centauri – no reason for surprise. The plans were there, after all.

Unfortunately, nobody noticed it, because we have no possibility to have a quick look on Alpha Centauri.

The film “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” is based on the cult novel of the same name by Douglas Adams. The feature film was released in 2005.

Similar to the absurdity of the scene in this movie, the statement “God has a plan for my life” strikes me. Because presumably this plan – if it exists – lies somewhere out of reach. I have never met anyone who has seen such a plan. As far as I am concerned, I must therefore state soberly: There is no concrete evidence of this personal plan and if there were, I have no access to it.

Isn’t that what the Bible says?

It’s always a bit sobering when you ask specifically. Nowhere in the Bible do you find a phrase like “God has a personal plan for every single person in this world” or “God has a plan for every believer (of this or that church affiliation).” I am not even mentioned by name.

But, you might object, even if none of this is in the Bible, could God still have something in store for me? Such a question can already be answered better, because general indications are fortunately many in the Scriptures. What I derive for myself personally, however, is an understanding, a personal application, a transferred meaning. It is not a teaching.

Therefore, even in this figurative sense, it is legitimate to ask whether this alleged “plan for my life” is part of the Good News? Does the gospel go like this: Believe in Jesus and I will tell you the plan for every day for the rest of your life? Did the apostles teach such a thing, or did Timothy, for example, teach such a thing in his church at Ephesus? None of this applies.

The statement “God has a plan for my life” can be exposed as pure ideology.

No roadmap for our lives

Now, of course, you don’t have to go from one extreme to the other. Even though God may not have a meticulous plan for my current day-to-day life, that doesn’t mean He leaves Himself uninvolved.

During the time when God was dealing with Israel, He simply let the other nations go their own ways:

“He let all nations go their own ways in past generations, though He did not leave Himself unwitnessed, working good, giving rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, and refreshing our hearts with food and gladness.”
Acts 14:16-17

God was not always audible and perceptible to every person in this world. He just let most of us go our own ways. As far as we know, God does not have filing cabinets with billions of individual plans for each person. Even if He had such a thing, we do not know about it.

We must learn to deal with what we do not know

It is common among many believers to assume the continuous promise of God. There is a lot of good in it. But this has nothing to do with the fact that we were not given a roadmap for our lives. What is needed for a healthy faith is not blind trust in promises not given, but sober differentiation.

“And for this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all sensitivity to it, that you may examine what is essential, that you may be sincere and unoffending in the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness which is through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Phil 1:9-11

We will see throughout the Bible that we ourselves are asked to look better, to look apart. Paul does not pray “that you may finally know God’s plan for your lives,” but that we must let our love overflow in knowledge and all sensitivity. We must learn to examine what is essential.

The essentials must therefore be discovered and examined. There are no daily WhatsApp messages from heaven revealing “the plan for our lives.” We have to set out on our own.

Embedded in God’s plan

Although we cannot expect a personal roadmap for our lives, there are clear indications that God has everything in hand:

“In Him [Christus] the fate has also fallen upon us, who are predestined according to the purpose of it, [Gott,] Who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”
Eph 1:11

There are amazing things here: In Christ a lot has fallen to us, that is, a part of something greater is allotted to us. That then belongs to us. Likewise, we read here that Paul is addressing the believers. We belong to this group who are “predestined”. All this is according to the purpose of God. Planning is at work here! This God even causes everything according to the counsel of His will.

Nothing is left to chance here, even if the details are not apparent. God has a purpose and He carries it out. What is amazing is that we are knowingly part of this work, that we have also been given a place in it.

Our life and experience are embedded in the purpose of God. Paul says more about this in the same letter:

“The manifold wisdom of God …, according to the purpose of the eons, which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Eph 3:11

Summary

In summary, although we do not know “God’s plan for our lives,” we are embedded “in God’s plan for this world.” Many details are and remain unclear. We do not know what lies ahead and need wisdom because there is a lack of understanding. We don’t even know what to pray in accordance with what is coming. But in this we do not remain without comfort and confidence.

God is working in this world. He has everything in his hands. We are blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3). We have been sealed with the Spirit of promise, which is a down payment of things to come (Eph 1:13).

Now, if we look at the many statements in the Bible from individuals, they speak of an understanding of their own lives. Paul, for example, realized late that he was already “set apart from his mother’s womb” (Gal 1:15). However, it cannot be deduced from this that this is now the case for everyone. Paul existed only once. Noah was told to build an ark, but this is no longer an issue today (Gen 9:15).

Individuals received instructions, were called, or recognized God’s work in their lives after the fact. This can also be our personal experience. But that doesn’t mean that “God has a plan for my life” as if I could just read that on Alpha Centauri at the responsible office.