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When God Doesn’t Give the Details
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What Does God Have Planned For Me Next?
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Red Rock Church. How you doing? Hey, if you're not excited today, you need to check for a pulse. You guys feel good? Hey, can you guys help me say hi to all the other locations, all the Denver locations. We love you. Austin, Texas. Brussels, Belgium, and men and women at our correctional facilities. We love you so much. Hey, if you're just joining us for the first time, I say it all the time, but I want you to know we're just a bunch of messed up, imperfect people here. And we are very aware of that. But we love to get together like this and to pursue and to praise and to be changed by a perfect God. And so no matter what you got going on in this place, we're going to do everything we can to make sure you know that you are loved and welcomed and valued. So welcome home. Welcome to Red Rocks Church. High five. Somebody have a seat. Let's get this party started. What's up, coach? Hey. So we are in week two of a teaching series called what Does God have Planned for Me Next? I mean, talk about something that every single one of us has asked is asking. And we are using to sort of, sort of as a, as a jump off point, as a. As a discussion starter. We're using our very own Douglas Weckenman's book, his brand new book, what Does God have Planned for Me Next? And I love doing stuff like this. And in case you're visiting, you're like, oh, you guys don't do the Bible here. You just do you guys books? No. Okay. So we know that there is not a human author on the planet that we would rather read than the Bible. The Bible is the authoritative word of God, period. Right. When we point out books and recommend books, it's because we just kind of know that like a lot of us over the years there's been a book that has sort of change things for us. Not because of what it says, oftentimes of the way it points us back to the word of God and helps us see something about the word of God that we may not have seen before. And so that's why we do stuff like this. And so I really do think this is going to help a lot of people. And so it's not out yet, but we as a church, we got early release copies in all the lobbies. And so I challenge you. Get one. Get one for your friend, get one for a family member. And just know this, every single penny, you buy a book out there, every penny of that is going to our Colorado and Texas correctional facilities men and Women, we love you so much. You are every bit as part of this church, as much a part of this church family as those of us in this room. So we love you. Anybody want a free book? I heard you first. Come on up. What's your name? Dave. Everybody makes noise for Dave. Notice that the book title and the series title is not Does God have Plans for My Life? Right. Or Does God have Plans for My Life Next. Or what's it called? Does God have. Yeah, for Me Next. Because we already know. It's not a matter of if. We're just trying to figure out what, but we already know that he does. And we know this from verses all throughout the Bible talking about. He has a call and a plan and a purpose, and he knew what we were designed for when we were in our mother's womb. And he's got good works for us to go do. But definitely one of the verses where we know this is Jeremiah 29:11. And I want to we're going to hone in on this verse today. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. Somebody say amen. That was pretty good. You don't even have to go to church and you've heard this verse. You don't even have to have read the Bible. And a lot of you have heard about this verse. I read some interesting stats this week. Check this out here. Let's put them up there. YouVersion 2017 Global Data Jeremiah 29:11 was the top verse in countries including Canada, the UK, Japan, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Singapore, Ghana, Malaysia, India, the Philippines. We've heard of this verse around The World Bible Gateways 2024 data and this really did surprise me. Jeremiah 29:11 was the seventh most read verse in the entire Bible outside of the six verses in Psalm 23. So if you don't know Psalm 23, the entire chapter is only six verses. So other than that one chapter, here's what it says. The that means it was this is Jeremiah 29:11, the number one most read verse outside of Psalm 23 in the entire world. Even ranking ahead of John 3:16. That's not right. All right, but just what it is. And the funny thing is, like I said, you don't have to go to church because you've been in people's houses. Like, we got this thing everywhere on T shirts and coffee mugs and graduation announcements and tattoos on our forearms and tattoos in places I don't want to know about. And it's framed in hallways and framed above doorways. And it's written on chalkboards, leaning up in the kitchen against the backsplash in somebody's kitchen right now, guaranteed. It's written in cursive on reclaimed wood above a fireplace of somebody in this church right now. Like, it's everywhere. We read it, we know it, we've heard it, we frame it, we tattoo it. And still it's interesting. I've been talking to a bunch of people this week about this verse. Cause I'm like, am I the only one? Am I crazy? But as I've been talking to people all week, I don't think I am. And I think a lot of you are gonna know what I mean when I say this. I think we have a love hate relationship with this verse. Okay, put this up. We love it because I so badly want it to be for me. I need it, right? Like, life's gotten difficult. Life gets difficult. Life is hard. Jesus promised us, in this world, you will have trouble. But then he said, take heart. I've overcome the world. Like, we know we're just good. And so when we struggle, we want to think. I want to think God has a plan for me. Even as screwed up as I am, I want to believe he has a plan for me. And I want to have hope and I want to have a future. So we love it for that reason. But then we sometimes hate hearing it because a lot of times I don't feel like it is. I love it because I want to think it applies to me. But sometimes I hate hearing it because it doesn't always feel like it does apply to me. I prayed with somebody today. They've been a Christian for a long time. So what are you talking about? At church. And I told him. He said, I don't know if I believe it. He believes it. I know he does. But I get what he's saying. He's gone through some really hard things, and he's been praying and doesn't feel like he's been getting answers. And he's been praying and doesn't feel like the things he's been praying for have been happening. And he's been asking God for details and doesn't feel like he's been getting any. And he's looking at a situation in life. And it's been really, really hard for years now. So I understand it and so do a bunch of you, if we're honest. And I won't make you, I'll just take all the heat. On this one today. All right. I'll just tell you how I feel about it. Sometimes I do. I'm like, I know it's true because it's in God's word. I want it to apply to me. God says it applies to me, but I don't always feel like it applies to me. And that's just real. And maybe you understand what that's like. I want to spend a little bit of time today. I want to dig into the context of this passage. It's always a good idea. Anytime we study Scripture again, maybe you've heard this, maybe you haven't. But whenever we study Scripture, one of the best things we can do is start asking context questions like, who wrote this? Who did they write it to? Or who said it? Who they say it to? Why? What was going on when it was said or written? What did the original recipients of these words understand it meant for them? And then we start going, okay, based on all of that, now, what does that mean for me? And I think if we do that, it's going to help us. Because I don't think my friend's the only one that has doubts right now. Right? Or the only one that feels like sometimes I don't feel like this verse applies to my life. And so we're gonna get into some context. So we are going to go back, way back. We're gonna go to the very beginning, and we're gonna get some real context. Because, see, I think, as I hope what you're gonna see in the next 10 minutes is that I believe this verse is actually a huge turning point in our history of, like, our story with God's. God oftentimes uses prophets and promises like this to make huge turning point moments for his people. And now all of us become his people. Right? So go ahead and put that up and I'll tell you what I mean. So let's start at the beginning. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. If you're taking notes, that's Genesis 1:1. You're welcome. He created us in his image, and we sinned. I mean, we weren't the first ones to do it, but we have done it. God says, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So we've all messed up. So because of our sin, there is this. There's this huge divide between us and God, and sinful people can't coexist with a perfect God. And so God says, well, that's not going to do because I want every single one of my Children to be able to be with me for all of eternity in heaven. So God says, I got a plan. And he calls a guy named Abraham. Abraham, Abraham, I need you to go. You're gonna leave your house, leave your family. You're gonna go start a family on your own. I'm gonna give you a child. And in your lineage from your child, you're gonna affect generation after generation after generation. He says, in fact, I'm gonna bl because of the lineage, starting with your child. So just go. And Abraham goes, cool, where do I go? And God says, not gonna tell you. That'll be important. We'll come back to that. So Abraham leaves, but he doesn't know where he's going. And then he leaves and he realizes that he left a lot of comfort and he's gonna end up in a tent, homeless. And him and his wife are gonna go through famines. Not like, oh my gosh, it's kind of like real famine where people are starving to death. Him and his wife, their lives will be at risk. Real famines. And then it's going to take 25 years for Abraham and Sarah to see the promise. He's going to be 100, she's going to be 90. By the time they have Isaac, that means there's 25 years of him. Non stop praying. God, I don't understand what's going on. You made a promise, but nothing is happening. 25 years later, Isaac, it goes, Abraham, Isaac. Jacob, Jacob. Joseph. Joseph had a dream. God gave Joseph a dream. And in this dream, apparently Joseph realizes, like, I'm gonna be in some kind of position of prominence or something. Cause God gave me a dream where my brothers and my family is bowing down to me. Now, Joseph didn't have what we call discernment. So Joseph told his brothers about the dream. And his brothers, as you can imagine, did not think that was very cool. So they decided to take Joseph out on the back 40 and kill him. But then last minute, they decide, let's not kill him. We're gonna sell him to a group of people that was traveling by into slavery. And that's what they do. And then they go back and tell dad that he died. So they sell Joseph into slavery and Joseph is taken to Egypt where he will be either a slave or wrongfully imprisoned and put in a dungeon for 13 years. Okay, so this is where. This is where it starts to get crazy. Remember, God told him he had a plan, right? My son made so much fun of me for drinking water. Forget him. So he's at 13 years in slavery or a dungeon. And all of a sudden the king starts having dreams. And the king's freaking out and nobody can interpret the dream. And one of the king's employees comes up to him and says, man, I spent a little time in prison, everybody's got a past. And I met a guy who can interpret dreams. And the king says, we'll get him. And they bring Joseph up out of the dungeon and, and. But through the power of God, he interprets the king's dreams and he tells the king, you're going to have seven years of really good harvest and then you're going to have seven years of famine. So you better save up a whole bunch of food in the seven years of harvest or else everybody's going to die in the seven years of famine. The king is so impressed, he gets, takes Joseph permanently out of the prison where he was wrongfully imprisoned in the first place, puts him in charge over the whole thing. And Joseph does exactly what he said he would do. There's a great harvest for seven years. And so he stores a bunch of food and, and then the famine hits and everybody's going to starve to death except for Joseph, who'd been saving up all the food. So everybody has to come to Joseph to avoid starving to death, even his family. So now his brothers make this trip all the way to Egypt, they don't even think about Joseph. They're assuming he's dead by now. They make this trip all the way to Egypt, they don't recognize who Joseph is, and they come in and they bow down before Joseph to ask for food you don't need. Taylor Sheridan, I'm telling you, this is real drama right here. And it's true, they bow down and Joseph forgives them and feeds them and keeps them alive and the family stays alive. So then the family goes, you know what we ought to do? We ought to move over here out to the burbs in Egypt. So they move over to the outside edge of Egypt and this now little family starts growing into a big family or a small nation, however you see it. But they're starting to replicate like rabbits, okay? And so now it's like this big family or small nation in Egypt goes, whoa, whoa, whoa, we can't have that. What if they grow bigger than we are? What if they overthrow us? And so the leaders of Egypt go, we're going to make them slaves. So they take the entire nation of Israel, put them in a 400 year stint of slavery, which means for generation after generation after generation People are going, don't tell me God's got a plan. I was born into a bad situation. Don't tell me God's got a plan. My whole upbringing was a bad situation. Some of you know what this feels like. Don't tell me God has a plan. Look at my situation now. Generation after generation after generation. But God had a plan. And so God, out in the middle of nowhere, sets a bush on fire. Except for this bush doesn't burn up. Something that only God can do. And just to show off, this bush starts talking. And this bush, while on fire but not being consumed and talking, talks to a guy named Moses. This burning bush says to Moses, I want you to go to the Pharaoh. And I want you to say, let my people go. I want you to go to the Pharaoh and get the nation of Israel out of a 400 year stint of slavery. And Moses says, how am I supposed to do that? What am I supposed to do? And God goes, oh, I got you. Take a stick. You're gonna love this drama. I'm telling you, you gotta watch this. You're gonna be series after series. And so he says, what do you mean, take a stick? I'm going to the most powerful man on the planet. And. And just. I'm risking my life just talking to him. God says, I got a plan, bro. Take a stick. And so Moses goes up to Pharaoh and says, let my people go. And Pharaoh says, no. And he goes home. And he goes back a second time, Let my people go. And Pharaoh says no. And he goes home nine times in a row. Tell me if you weren't. If you're not him, you're not thinking, wait a sec. Did God really talk to me? I must have been crazy thinking God talked to me from a burning bush. What was I drinking that night? Nine times in a row, it doesn't happen. But on the 10th time, he goes to Pharaoh and God moves his heart. And Pharaoh says, fine, take them all. Moses gets the entire nation of Israel out of a 400 year stint of slavery. And all of a sudden they get up to the Red Sea. But Pharaoh changed his mind. JK Send the army. So Pharaoh sends the most powerful army in the world to go bring him back. Now, here's Moses and the nation of Israel. Here comes the army, here's the Red Sea. God goes, hey, remember that stick I gave you? Why don't you go ahead and hold that over the water? So Moses holds the stick over the water and the Red Sea parts and they go through it. And then God closes it up. And here they are, nation of Israel, free from 400 years of slavery on the other side of the Red Sea. And Egypt can't touch them or we're just getting started. So they tour around. They tour around this little wilderness, what should have been an 11 day journey. They tour around for 40 years. You tell me people aren't in that caravan going, don't tell me God's got a plan. He said there was a promised land we were supposed to go to. We've been driving in circles for 40 years, haven't seen any of it. And then their leader, Moses dies. Well, don't tell me God's got a plan. We've been in this desert for 40 years, this wilderness for 40 years. Depending on, depending on your translation. We've been here for 40 years and now our leader is dead. And God goes, that's okay. Cause I got a plan. And my plans are perfect and my plans never fail. He says, hey, Joshua, come here bro. As I was with Moses, so I'll be with you. I'll never leave you or forsake you. I'm gonna give you every place where you put your foot. Take this nation across the Jordan river and go take that promised land, Jordan. Joshua takes the nation of Israel miraculously across the Jordan, and they're in the promised land. But it wasn't quite as easy as maybe he had assumed it would be. Because what God knew, but he didn't know is they had to fight 31 battles in this promised land. 31 times their lives were at stake, 31 times their families lives were at stake, battle after battle after battle. If you've ever been in one of those seasons where you're like, the hits just keep on coming. God, like that happened and now this happened and oh, you thought I could deal with this too. They knew what that felt like. 31 different battles. But finally they come through. God miraculously brings them through all 31 battles, and they become their own nation of people in the promised land. Hunkering down, they go, you know what? We need some leadership. Let's appoint a judge. And they appoint judges. And then the nation follows God with these judges. And then kind of the next one, next generation doesn't follow God. And then a generation wants to follow God. And then the next generation rebels and turns their backs on God and worships other idols. And they go. After a long time, they go, this isn't working. We need a king. So they get themselves a king. And now this king wants to follow God. So now the nation's all fired up for God. But then the next king, he doesn't want to follow God, he wants to worship Asher Poles and BAAL and all these crazy gods. And so now the nation's going to start to rebel again and sin and they're going to go away from God. And then the next king comes in, he goes, no, no, no, we've got to repent, we got to worship God. And then the next king comes in and goes, we don't need any of that. And it's the same pattern over and over for centuries. And then it starts getting really, really bad to the point where the nation of Israel has so rebelled from God, has so turned their backs on God, they're doing things like sacrificing babies to false gods. I mean, it's crazy. And God finally goes, I have a plan and my plans never fail. So guys, we're going to have to have some consequences for this rebellion because I gotta get you back on track. I gotta raise up a new generation to start believing in me again so we can march forward on this plan. And so, and that shouldn't shock you because that's a bunch of our testimonies, isn't it? I rebelled, I turned my back on God, I suffered some crazy consequences, and all of a sudden I went, I think I need God. That was their story. So as a consequence, the northern part of Israel, God let them be conquered by the Assyrians, and then the southern part, which was called Judah, God let them be conquered by the Babylonians, and, and they were taken off into a 70 year exile in Babylon. Now, during this 70 year exile, this is where, if you've ever heard of Daniel in the lion's den, that's where this happened. In the 70 years they were in exile in Babylon. Ever heard of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace? That was in the 70 years of exile in Babylon. And here in the in Babylon, the nation of Israel, who has now lost everything when they were taken into exile, parents were murdered, siblings were murdered, children's children were murdered. And they're taken off into slaves. Their dreams are crushed, everything's turned upside down. Taken from their family, taken from their homes, no dreams, no plans, nothing. And God says to his prophet Jeremiah, Jeremiah, I need you to go to my people and I need you to remind them that they've had a rough go, but I see them. I need you to go remind my people that I see them. And I know they're hurting and I know they're struggling, but I'm still God and I'm still on the throne and I still have a plan. And so Jeremiah, you go tell this message to my people. And here we get Jeremiah 29, 10 and 11. This is what the Lord says. When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. He says, I promise you guys, I got a plan and there will be a day where I'll bring you back to Jerusalem. But right now, while you're struggling, you're just going to have to hold on to the fact that I am God, I am in charge and I have a plan. And I'm telling you, this becomes a turning point. This becomes a turning point for a nation who finally starts to believe it. The next generation rises up and they start to believe it. They start to actually grab onto this idea that I think he's right. I think even though I've made a bunch of mistakes and, and even though my life looks like total pandemonium and chaos right now, I think God has a plan for me and I'm going to start following him and seeking him and serving him. And so then, then, so that happens. They get this word, they hold on, the 70 years ends. God uses a king, King Cyrus from Persia, that's not even a follower of God. He comes in, destroys Babylon and God moves on his heart and he says, I'm gonna let the people go back to Jerusalem. And, and so they go back and they start rebuilding the temple and then Ezra comes and turns into a spiritual guide for Jerusalem. And then Nehemiah goes back and starts to rebuild the walls and all of a sudden we got Jerusalem again with a temple and with walls and security and a nation based and founded on. We're going to serve God and we're going to see what he has in store for us. And then 400 years of nothing. No more prophets, no more messages from God. In fact, if you have a Bible and you ever see what happened between the last page of the Old Testament and the first page of the New Testament, right in between there, there's a 400 year gap. It's called the intertestamental period, the period between the two testaments. So you got Israel rebuilt, ready to go. 400 years of silence. And then here comes Matthew and Jesus Christ is going to be brought into the world. The Son of God, born to a virgin, will live a sinless. He will die on a cross and pay the price for our sins so that we can be forgiven, have his spirit and go to heaven forever. And then on the third day, he's going to come back from the dead, proving he was the one and only son of the one and only God and the one and only way to heaven. And that's the era we live in now. That's a lot right right there in the middle. Jeremiah 29:11. God says, I got a plan for you. And they started to believe it and it started to change things. And so with the time I got left today, I want to talk about some of those reasons that if we're not careful, we'll let some thoughts creep in and we'll start to see things in this promise that aren't actually there. We'll start to expect for God to do things that he doesn't actually say he's going to do. And then because he doesn't do what he never promised he would do, we start to get upset and, and we start to feel disappointed. And we start to say things like, I guess he doesn't have a plan and I guess he's not paying attention and maybe I'm wasting my time with the whole deal. And so I wanna go through those things. Now that you have total context, who said it, what was going on, why it was said, and what did the original recipients understand it to mean? Okay, so let's go through some of these sticking points that can rise up in our minds. Number one, if God really has a plan for me, well, then he'd give me the details. Oh, you're laughing because, you know, you're like, oh, I know that thought. I can't tell you how many people I have talked to that are like, I'm just praying. I've been praying. I don't know what to do with our company and I don't know what's going to happen next. And I don't know what to do in this season. I don't want to do with this relationship and I don't want to do with this family issue. And I don't know how it's going to turn out. And I'm praying, I'm praying, God, show me the plan. God, show me the plan. And nothing. He gives me nothing. You guys know, because you've said it. What we really mean when we say that is I want the details. Cause like, the overarching plan of God we already have, and we talk about it all the time here at Red Rocks. The overarching plan of God is that none should perish and that all should go to get saved and go to heaven. And be with God forever. The overarching plan is that we give our lives to God. We. We establish a real, real authentic relationship with him. And then we use everything we got, our time, our talents, our resources to help as many people as we can find that same relationship with God. That's the overarching plan. What we want is the details. I want the details about my life. What's going to happen in a few years? Where am I headed? Where are you taking me? What's going on? And I just want to point out that the verse says, God says, I know the plans I have. He never once even said he'd tell us the plan, but yet we get mad at him because he didn't tell us the plan. He never once said, I'll give you the details up front. Yet we get mad at him because he doesn't give us the details up front. Put the list back up. Let's just start at the top. Just Abraham, here's that. Remember I said God called him to go and didn't give him a whole lot of details. Watch this. The Lord had said to Abram before he called him, abraham, leave your native country, your relatives and your father's family and go to the land that I'll show you later. Imagine this. See, we read the Bible too fast. Imagine this, babe. Load up the U Haul, sell everything we got. Load up the kids, load up what's left. We're out. Where we going, babe? No clue. Like that's what's going on. He didn't know that he was gonna be homeless. He didn't know he was gonna go through famines. He didn't know there'd be 25 years of every single month going, God, please, could this be the month we get pregnant? Cause you put this dream in our heart. It's just not happening. No details. Joseph didn't know what was gonna happen to him. Moses didn't know what was going to happen to him. Right? Just read every story in the Bible. He doesn't do upfront details. It's as if he actually wants us to live by faith and not by sight. You know what I mean? Because he just doesn't. He's not into giving details. And honestly, I was thinking about it this week and I thought, well, thank God he's not. I honestly. That's where I'm at right now. He doesn't give details. You shouldn't expect him. Now he's got. He can do whatever he wants. I wouldn't expect him if I were you. And I thought this week. Well, thank God he doesn't because I was looking at that list. Like if Abraham knew everything he was about to go through, I wonder if he'd have went. If Joseph knew that that dream God had put in his heart was going to cost him 13 years of slavery or imprisonment. He probably, he would have still been trying to pursue God's plans, but he would have been scared to death and nervous and worried the whole time because he knew exactly how hard it was going to be and he knew the pain and the that were going to come around the corner. I think God doesn't give us the details because he's a good father. I think he doesn't give us the details because you can't handle the truth. Lieutenant Cathy if God would have told me and Jill 21 years ago, I all the twists and turns, I don't think I ever leave Rockford, Illinois. I'm just being honest. If he would have told me about the heartache we were going to go through, at times, the loneliness we were going to feel, at times, the betrayal we were going to feel, at times the judgment we were going to feel, the 14 years in, I was going to have panic attacks and anxiety so bad I wouldn't even want to keep living. Like if God would have showed us all the details, I don't live, I don't leave Rockford, Illinois. I'm telling you right now, I am right now the oldest youth pastor in a three state area in Rockford, Illinois. Happy as can be. Think about your life. Do you go through with that plan? If you'd have known all the twists and turns, do you start that company if you'd have known how hard it was going to be at certain times, do you take that risk? Do you enter into that relationship? Do you? You see what I'm saying? Like, I think it's God's kindness that he doesn't give us the plans. But I'll tell you what he does, he doesn't give us all the details of the plan. He says, I'll give you something way better. He says, I'll give you peace. And that's what we really want. See, we think if God would give me all the details of whatever he's calling me to, it'll give me peace of mind. It wouldn't give you peace of mind, it would scare you to death because you'd know ahead of time everything that was gonna go wrong. Ignorance is bliss. He says, I'm not giving you details. I give you something better. I give you peace. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you and all whose thoughts are fixed on you. And I just want to say today, if this is you and you're going, man, I'm trying so hard to figure out what the plans of God are. I can't get the details. I don't know what to do. I don't have. He says peace won't come through you getting more details. Peace will come through you choosing to trust me, you choosing to fix your thoughts on me. So what we do is we choose. I'm going to focus on my God more than I'm going to focus on this problem. I'm just choosing to do so. And God says that's where the peace is at. See what? We don't really need the details. We just need the God of the details. That's where the peace comes from. Church, if God really had a plan, why wouldn't have this many problems? I know you know that one. Put the list back up. I mean, I told y' all that for a reason, because I wanted you to see it. Problems, problems, problems, problems, problems, problems, problem. Non stop. I couldn't find a story in the Bible this week where God had a call on somebody's life and everything went perfect. But here's what we do. We were never promised perfect. God just said, I know the plans I have for you, but we do this. God doesn't have plans for me. If God had plans for me, then this wouldn't be happening. I wouldn't be going through this. We wouldn't be going through this for as much time as we've been going through this. If God had a plan, my life wouldn't look like this. My family wouldn't have to go through this. I wouldn't have to go through this. We wouldn't have had this pain. We wouldn't have these problems. Church, can I remind you it's actually the opposite. Jesus promised us we'd have problems. He said, in this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I've overcome this world. We were promised problems, and we're promised that God has a plan for our lives. And guess what? The two happen at the exact same time. Our pain and our problems, they don't limit or delete or make less of the fact that God has a plan. We're imperfect people. We're broken people in a broken world. And so until heaven, we have pain and we have problems. And of course we don't like it. But let's not use that as a reason to start thinking that God doesn't have a plan because I'm going through some difficult things. The promise is you'll go through difficult things, but because I have a plan, I'll be with you, and I'll never leave you or forsake you. And I'll walk with you through the valley of the shadow of death. And you don't ever have to be afraid because my rod and staff will comfort you. And. And no weapon formed against you is going to prosper. And greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. He says, I'll be with you through the problems. I'll see you through them. Because I got a plan. And I could take this mic around to, like, so many people at every single one of our locations, and you guys could all tell your story. And if you've been a part of this church, like, you know every detail of mine. In fact, we were at a dinner last night with some friends, and we were all asking, like, tell us something we don't already know about each other. And I was like, you've been to this church for 20 years. I got nothing left. You know, everything. But for those of you who might not know, I just. I want to testify that our problems, they don't nullify God's promises. At 24, I started having panic attacks for the first time in my life and couldn't figure it out and got real, real bad. Like, I was living in LA and I was trying to work in the film business, and I was spending a lot of time with people who did a lot of drugs, and I started doing a lot of drugs and just. I just got bad. And it got to this point where I wanted to end my life, and I didn't know what to do. And so I went to see my mom in Kansas, and we were. We were walking around, like, her neighborhood, and I remember telling her. I was like, I was just bawling, and I was just like. Like, nothing is working in life. Like, nothing is right. I'm so anxious. I'm so screwed up. I can't control my mind. I'm like. I feel like I'm sick or crazy or something. And she said, sean, God has good plans. So she told me I wanted to throat punch my own mom. Don't tell anybody you ever have that, like, somebody real good intentions. Oh, I'm sorry your life's falling apart, but God has planned plans. Shut up. I told my mom. I said, mom, I can't even, like, imagine something better. I can't. I feel so, like, In a pit like, of just. It's all wrong and despair. And I can't even, like, picture a better life. It's not. I don't even think it's possible. And about two days later, I sat down to take my own life. And right before I did, I had this thought of, like, what if heaven and hell's real? And maybe I need to find something out about that before I do something crazy. And I called the only Christian I knew from college, and he brought me to Illinois. And if this is your church, you know my story. But he took me to a church, and I came into just a building like this and had drugs on me. And he said, if. The guy up on the stage said, if you give your life to Jesus, he'll change everything. And it did. I gave it a chance. I said, I'm real screwed up, but if you'll have me, I need you. And, like, something happened that day, and it changed the rest of my life. And I ended up moving there. And I got in a small group, and then I interned, and I met my wife. And me and my wife have the three best boys. Like, I love them so much. It, like, hurts my heart. And I got real, like, crazy thinking about it this week because, you know, your phone, like, just shows you old pictures because it thinks you need to see them. And it was fine because I actually love this picture. In fact, one of these is actually the screensaver on my phone. But after Jill and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, me and Jill and the three boys, we got together, just us, and we did a. Like, a renewal of our vows. And my sister was there. And then we went up, and we went up on a mountain and we took pictures together. And that was the night that me and Jill renewed our vows for our 25th wedding anniversary. And then go to that next picture. That's the picture that I have as a screensaver on my phone right now. And I was thinking this week, when I was 24, a long time ago, and was 100% hopeless and sure that God didn't have a plan in the world for me, God had a plan for me. God envisioned things I could have never envisioned for myself. And so here's just what I want to say to you as I just want to wrap up Banyan. Come on up. I got a bunch of more verses. But I've also prayed all week that God would just speak to me and speak through me to you, and I believe he will. All I could see was pain and heartache, and it's not working. And he doesn't talk to me when I pray. And I'm not getting any info, and nothing seems to be working. And the whole time he's going, no, no, no. I see you. Don't you dare give up. I got a plan for you, and I'm the God who does more than you could ever ask, think or imagine. So don't you dare let loose of life. Don't you dare let loose of you. Your faith. I got a plan. And one of these days you're gonna actually experience it if you'll keep the faith. And you're gonna turn around and go, thank God I didn't give up. Cause I got a testimony now. Look what my God has done in my life now. Like, that's gonna be your story. And so the real question, I think is for us is like, well, what do we do when we're dealing with those thoughts? I don't feel like God has a plan for me because I'm praying, but I'm not getting any details. I don't feel like God has a plan for me right now because look at my situation, look at my life. It doesn't add up. I don't feel like God has a plan for me because I did pray and it didn't happen the way I wanted in the timeframe I wanted. What do we do? God says. He actually talks about it in the next two, three verses after the promise. Let's put those up, if you would. And I'll have to find. So the Lord God. Nope, nope, skip that. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. What do we do, God? How do I experience these plans that you have for me? Because I got all these negative thoughts going in my mind. You will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to 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. About 15 years ago, some friends invited us to their family's lake house. And I didn't even know this picture was being taken. I'm pretty sure Jill took it. But Jill took a picture of me and Ashton. And Would you put that picture up? He's two right there. And I was thinking about this picture this week. And I was thinking, you know, he had no idea the things I had planned for him. He had no idea that the people where we were staying had a boat. He had no idea that they had fishing poles. He had no idea that they had stocked an area with fake fish. So he. You know what I'm saying? He was about to have a good day. They didn't stock it with fake fish. They stocked it with real fish, but it made for fake fishing. I guess I'm gonna take him fishing. I'm gonna take him out on the boat. I'm gonna pull him on a tube. They got an in the water trampoline that he's gonna be able to jump on. Like, we're about to have an amazing time. He knew none of it. And as I was thinking back, like, I remember this day, and I'm thinking back to this day, and I was like, he had no clue what was coming next. And yet there was not one bit. He did not have one bit of worry, not one bit of anxiety, no fear. Kid was laughing and whistling and talking my head off. Why? Because even at two years old, my son had already figured out, dad's got my hand. Doesn't matter what's coming around the corner. I'm good. My dad's big and he's strong and he protects me and he guides me. And as long as I got his hand, I'm good. And God actually says that we can still do that today. Isaiah 41:13. Excuse me, for I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear. I will help you. God says, I got something way better for you than details that would just stress you out anyways. I'm the God of the universe, and I actually have a plan for you. And that's a promise. I see you. I see you on your good days. I see you on your bad days. I see you when you feel like you got the world whipped. I see you when you felt like you've never struggled more than you are right now. And I believe God wanted me to say to somebody today, I see you. Don't you dare give up. I got a plan for you. Maybe today it's a financial stress. It just feels overwhelming. Maybe it's a family dynamic that's really difficult. Maybe you're fighting for a marriage. Maybe you feel like you're starting over in life in one area or the other. Maybe it's a mental illness thing or a physical illness thing or a diagnosis, or you've been through something hard or like, whatever it is. I just feel like God wants us to be reminded today that the God of the universe says, the best news in the world, it's not bad news that he doesn't give details. He said, no, no, you got to see it on the other way. This is the best promise ever. The God who created the oceans and the mountains with his voice says, I got a plan specifically for you, and you're going. It's for your. So you're going to. You're going to prosper. That word, shalom. It's going to bring you peace and you're going to have a hope and you're going to have a future. So don't you dare give up, because I got you. Just walk with me and just hold my hand. Would you guys stand up with me? I was thinking about what we do with our hands and how sometimes it kind of represents what we're thinking and feeling. And I was thinking, like, if my heart posture, like, had, like, a body to it and could do, like, expressions. Sometimes when I'm thinking about, does God have a plan for my life? I honestly, sometimes my heart posture would be this. I've been asking, I've been praying. Nothing. Have you seen what I'm going through? Fists clenched. Have you seen what I'm going through, God? Do you see me at all? Are you paying attention, God? Why don't you care? Why won't you help? All those kind of hand positions just cause more stress, more worry, more fear. Philippians says, rejoice and continue to rejoice. When you feel anxious, just talk to God and pray to God and be thankful and that the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. And it made me think, I wonder if this week, instead of that and this and this, what if my. What if this week it was this with my hands? I don't know what's going to happen next week. Like church. I'm with you if this is your church. You know, like, I got diagnosed with Parkinson's four years ago. I've been praying every day for four years. It hasn't changed yet. There's. Sometimes I go, do you really have a plan? And I think about what's going to happen in the future. And, like, how can I do this in 10 years? Can me and Jill travel someday when we retire? Can I. How long can I shoot hoops with my boys? It's easy for me to do this all week, but what if this week I did this and you did this? What if this week I did this and you did this? I'm a Praise you, God. I'm a pray to you, God, and I'm gonna Raise my right hand and say, God, will you just take me by the hand? Maybe you grew up and you didn't have a dad that you could run to. You didn't have a dad that would protect you. You didn't have the dad that you wished you had, that you should have had. And if that's the case, I'm really, really sorry. But I want to tell you, you got that dad today. And he says, you just give me your right hand, and I'll hold your hand, son. I'll hold your hand, daughter. And I get you through anything you're going through. Cause I got a plan for your life, and my plans don't fail. Let's pray. God, I thank you that you us. I thank you that you're with us even when we can't feel it, that you're working even when we can't see it. And that you have a plan for our lives even on the days we don't understand it. And so, God, I pray as we begin to worship you with music, that weights would come off our shoulders as we are reminded that the God of the universe has a plan for my life. And I don't have to sweat it. I don't need the details. I'll just walk with the God of the details. And I pray, God, you give us a renewed sense of peace and joy and strength and excitement as we walk out of here. Before we sing, let me ask two questions. First one's this. You're going through something difficult, and you say, would you pray for me today? Because me or someone I love, we need a miracle. We need God to get involved. That's you. Raise your hand. I'm just gonna say a prayer. Yeah, a bunch of us. Me, too. My hand's up, too. Second question is this. Maybe you had no idea why you were tuning in to church or coming to church this weekend, but God's been, like, doing something in your heart. And while I've been talking, the truth is he's been talking to you. And you just kind of know, like, I need to start a relationship with God so that I can start to experience the plans he has for me. I need to first repent of my sins because I want to be forgiven. I want what Jesus did for me on the cross. I want my sins forgiven. I want his spirit living in me. I want to go to heaven forever. If that's you. And you know this is your moment right now. Put your hand up. I'm gonna pray for you. Go ahead and lift them up high. Right now, God, I say yes to you. I want to ask for forgiveness today. I see hands all over the place. Praise God. God, you see us, you know what we've been through, but more importantly, you know where you want to take us. And so, God, I pray you, encourage us, build our faith, take weights off our shoulders, break chains as we sing and praise you and celebrate the fact that you do, in fact, have really good plans for us. And we are thankful for that. I thank you for the eternal lives that are being changed right now. Red rocks. Heaven's getting more crowded as we speak. God, we thank you that with us. We thank you that you're working, and we thank you that you have a plan. And it's our honor to worship you now in Jesus name. And everybody said, amen. Let's worship.