The Perfect Planner

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
Jeremiah 1:5

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
Psalm 139:16

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Jeremiah 29:11-14

I read these and rest. I, a planner, completely type-A, task-oriented, rest.

Real rest is rare for someone like me. I have to-do lists, shopping lists, to-make lists... for school, for home, for the short-term, for the long-term.

I like plans, the sense of control and security that come with them. I like to think through the details and cover my bases. I love people this way, by orchestrating elaborate events or gifts. And I feel most loved when people take their time, energy and effort and invest them in a well-executed plan on my behalf.

I suppose that is why I love this aspect of God so much. Not just because I am clearly made in His image, but because it expresses His great care and concern for me.

God is the ultimate planner. He is orderly, logical, detailed, comprehensive. 
From the way He sprawled out the heavens, flung the stars, spoke creation, and gently formed man - to the way He set in motion His plan to redeem His dearest ones through the sacrifice of His Son, Himself.

Always thought-out. Never meaningless. 

That is also how He approaches us and involves us. God has plans to accomplish His Kingdom purposes, but He chooses to involve us in meaningful ways. That is why I can rest. God's planning tells me I am taken care of, tells me I am loved, tells me He will use me appropriately and will make sure every need is met in the process. I don't need a plan; I need God.

The closer I am to Him, the more I realize I don't need to grasp for control because He is My Sustainer, and His plans are perfect.

What I have said, that will I bring about;
what I have planned, that will I do.
Isaiah 46:11

The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Psalms 33:10-11