God’s Good Plans for You - Health, Holiness, and Hallelujahs

Can God's Good Plans Include Cancer?

How could cancer be part of God’s good plans for me?

When I found out I had cancer, I prayed for a miracle I knew God could perform. I searched for and tried alternative ways of treating it. I don’t regret doing any of this, in fact I believe it was helpful. However, I finally concluded months later that I should go through chemotherapy since the tumor hadn’t shrunk.

Shortly after this, I heard this song for the first time. It piqued my interest. After hearing it a couple more times, it truly began to speak to me and give me joy. Since I had been searching for the right song for this next Hallelujah blog, I concluded that this was the one God had for it and me at this moment. Thank you Jesus.

Peace is Knowing God Has Good Plans

We all go through things we have prayed about hoping to cut them short or avoid them altogether. I know I am not alone in this. if you can relate then I trust that this song and the scriptures that go with it, will speak to you as well.

The song Good Plans by Anthony Evans describes God’s ways, His thoughts toward us, and His plans for us. The lyrics remind us that we should ask him to order our steps and then not worry, knowing we can trust His purpose for us and His hand on our life.

God's Ways and Thoughts are Better

The song begins with the first verse which starts,

Your ways are better

Your ways are better for me

Your thoughts are higher

Higher than my dreams

This is so true. As humans we can’t begin to comprehend the thoughts and ways of God. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We can’t even grasp his thoughts and plans when they come to our own lives. He loves us so much more than we believe. Not only did he sacrifice his life to save us, as his children he says in Jeramiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

His plans for us are greater than we can even ask or imagine, and he can accomplish them if we trust and obey him. Ephesians 3:20 states, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

Good Plans for a Good Purpose

The verse goes on to say,

So many ways you made for me

And when I look back I can see

Your hand is working

You have a purpose for me

As an old man looking back at his life, King David in Psalm 37:23-25 could say, “ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” He saw that God had directed his life. God had helped him when he was attacked and when he sinned. Finally, God had never left him, but instead, had always provided for his needs.

Romans 8:28 declares as we should, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” So no matter what we are going through and why it came about, we can be sure that if we love God and belong to him, it will be used for our good.

With Jesus I Will Not Fear

Verse 31 of the same chapter, Romans 8, leads us to the next point of the song when it asks, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” The song asks and answers that same question in the last part of the verse.

Why would I worry

When I know you’re here

When Jesus is for me

I will not fear

We don’t have to worry or fear because Jesus is with us and will not forsake us. Psalms 118:6 declares as we should,, “ The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” In fact God commands us not to fear because he has promised to strengthen and hold us up as Isaiah 41:10 assures us. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Put Your Life in God's Hands

The chorus summarizes the sentiment of the verse by declaring,

I know that you have good plans

I put my life in your hands

Your ways are better, they’re so much better

You have good plans

We can trust our life in the hands of Jesus because we know that he has good plans for us. Proverbs 3:5-6 instructs us, “ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” When we acknowledge him in all our ways, we know he will lead us into those good plans.

Trust God, Ask Him To Lead

This is echoed in the Psalms. The bridge goes on to repeatedly ask the Lord to,

Order my steps…

Psalm 119:133 says, “ Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” We don’t want to be drawn aside into sin. This is why we should consciously and continuously ask God to lead us. Then we must be willing to trust and follow even when we don’t understand.

I Refuse to Live in Fear

So far things have gone easier and better for me than most people expected. I praise God for that. I don’t know what the end of this journey will be, but I do know that I am in God’s hands and his plans for me are good. That is why my motto since first finding out about the cancer a little less than a year ago has been, “I Refuse to Live in Fear.” This can be heard on my first Vlog on the subject linked here.

The Ultimate in Good Plans Awaits

If you are experiencing difficult things in your life that you find hard to understand, I challenge you to pray and place your life in the nail scarred hands of Jesus. You can be assured that he loves you and has good plans for your life.

We can all remember that no matter the tribulations of this temporary life, if we have surrendered to and obeyed God, we have an eternity in heaven to look forward to. I don’t know of a better plan than that. Paul, who suffered greatly for the cause of Christ, in Romans 8:18 confidently states, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Living forever with our incorruptible bodies in that eternal home will be glorious.