What's The Plan Phil?

Let me set the scene…from “Modern Family” television show

 

Phil and Claire Dunphy have an old station wagon that they have decided to sell and Claire is having a hard time with letting it go; even though they haven’t driven it in a very long time.

Phil tells Claire; “It’s gonna be tough to say goodbye, it always is. Nobody loves change, but, part of life is learning to let go of things.”

To ease Claire’s pain, Phil comes up with a plan and takes the family of five on one last nostalgic adventure in the car; which includes take out dinner and a scenic drive.

As they are parked at a scenic overlook, Claire thanks Phil for his thoughtful trip, stating that she really feels better already.

Haley 

As Claire and Phil are exchanging a kiss to mark this picturesque family trip, their son Luke lets everyone know that his stomach hurts from eating too fast and that he can’t breathe.

At the same time, a spider is found by Haley (one of the daughters); and she starts to freak out.

The windows don’t go down, so Phil offers to turn on the a/c, but instead turns on the heat which spews out hot air and dust; adding to their inability to breathe.

Luke

From there Phil’s plan all goes downhill.

Luke let’s everyone know that he is about to throw up. Claire tells him to use his meal bag to throw up in, but Luke says that it “smells like onions!”; which only makes him even more sick.

Meanwhile, Haley has become totally freaked out by the spider as she tries to get away from it.

Claire tells everyone to family to “GET OUT!” and they all leave the old family station wagon; without putting on the emergency brake.

As the family is outside in the fresh air, the car begins rolling backwards towards the cliff. Phil leaps on the hood spread-eagled and grabs on to the exterior air vent, rather than to try to get into the car and hit the brake.

Claire looks at him with a baffled expression and screams, "What's the plan, Phil?!" To which Phil relies; “At least I’m trying to do something!”

Claire cries out; “Let it go Phil” and the car falls off the cliff to the valley below.

As the family walks back in the darkness to their home, the three Dunphy children say mockingly; “What’s the plan, Phil?!”

Most of us can relate to Phil because we’ve been there. We make plans with the anticipation of great things, and disaster sets in. And life screams at us; "What's the plan, Phil?!"

To which we sheepishly reply; “At least I’m trying to do something!”

Or we have a promise of something and a plan to get “there” or “it” and then we run into obstacles.

From there it all goes downhill as we hang on, about to go off the cliff and no matter how we plan, things don’t and won’t always go as we think they should.

If that is you today, hear me compassionately saying to you; “Let it go!”

All throughout the scriptures we can read about great promises that ran into obstacles; or at least they seemed to be obstacles to the promise…

Alex, Haley, Luke

For example, the children of Israel were told to leave Egypt and go the land that was promised to them (Exodus 14) and they came to a sea and had no way to cross it.

From there, it all went downhill, because as they trusted only when the circumstances were favorable; instead of resting in the invisible and eternal God who has the bigger picture and the true plan.

Or how about Abraham? When he finally got the son that he had waited so long for, he is told to take him and sacrifice him (Genesis 22). He had to trust that even this would not stop God’s plan for him to not only have a son, but a son who would inherit all that he had.

Or how about when the disciples were in deep grief on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) because the death of Jesus seemed to be an obstacle to the promised Kingdom of God. They didn’t understand that it was God’s plan all along to have death, burial, and resurrection.

Or how about Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9), who was going to arrest Christians and throw them into prison or kill them; and ended up surrendering his life to Jesus.

 

How about you and your situation?

Do you believe God only when the circumstances are favorable, or do you believe no matter what the circumstances may be?

Are you still trying to plan your way out of your mess or obstacle?

If that is you today, hear me compassionately saying to you; “Let it go!”

Even if you caused some of the obstacles, God isn’t thrown off by your mess. He doesn’t freak out and say, “Well, I really just don’t know what to do this time!”

God wants you to trust that He has the PLAN even if you can’t see it.

My friend, we have only a partial view here on earth of what exactly God is doing, His half-completed, half-developed plan; but all of it will make sense when this whole journey is complete. 

We start this by surrendering our lives and all of our situations to Jesus and trust Him bring us to the place of having a focus on who He is; knowing that everything else is wasted time and wasted energy.

That would be a good plan.

Not sure where to start practically? Follow this link: https://needhim.org/

Or drop me an email at: pastortommyoestreich@gmail.com

Dont Pass Me By

Dusty roads, calloused feet,
The sun beats upon their heads.
They feel the pain, they touch the earth,
Embrace the sick in their beds.

A child lies in agony,
Her mama's none left to spare,
When open mouths anticipate
A little bit of milk from anywhere.

And across the landscape will be drawn a painting of true humanity.

Don't pass me by, the night's so long,
Don't ask me why it all went wrong.

Our human need is crying out
As greed eats to the marrow.
Do we ignore a suffering world just
To keep to the straight and narrow.

We turn aside to please ourselves,
And won't give the time of day,
To the victims of injustice in a world
When we turn and look and walk the other way.

And justifying ourselves we ask, is this my neighbor?

 Don't pass me by, the night's so long,
Don't ask me why it all went wrong.

But I believe that we could change
At least the world of just one life.

True love has a different face,
No place for condescending pride.
That's how it really ought to be,
Giving ourselves to those in need,
That's how it really ought to be.

Don't pass me by, the night's so long,
Don't ask me why it all went wrong.

 

Copyright © Phil Keaggy

Singing in the fire!

The following incident is related by Mrs. Charles Spurgeon, who was a great sufferer for more than a quarter of a century:

"At the close of a dark and gloomy day, I lay resting on my couch as the deeper night drew on; and though all was bright within my cozy room, some of the external darkness seemed to have entered into my soul and obscured its spiritual vision. Vainly I tried to see the Hand which I knew held mine, and guided my fog-enveloped feet along a steep and slippery path of suffering. In sorrow of heart I asked,

Why does my Lord thus deal with His child? Why does He so often send sharp and bitter pain to visit me? Why does He permit lingering weakness to hinder the sweet service I long to render to His poor servants?

These fretful questions were quickly answered, and through a strange language; no interpreter was needed save the conscious whisper of my heart.

For a while silence reigned in the little room, broken only by the crackling of the oak log burning in the fireplace. Suddenly I heard a sweet, soft sound, a little, clear, musical note, like the tender trill of a robin beneath my window.

What can it be? surely no bird can be singing out there at this time of the year and night.'

Again came the faint, plaintive notes, so sweet, so melodious, yet mysterious enough to provoke our wonder. My friend exclaimed,

‘It comes from the log on the fire!' The fire was letting loose the imprisoned music from the old oak's inmost heart!

Perchance he had garnered up this song in the days when all was well with him, when birds twittered merrily on his branches, and the soft sunlight flecked his tender leaves with gold. But he had grown old since then, and hardened; ring after ring of knotty growth had sealed up the long-forgotten melody, until the fierce tongues of the flames came to consume his callousness, and the vehement heart of the fire wrung from him at once a song and a sacrifice. 'Ah,' thought I, 'when the fire of affliction draws songs of praise from us, then indeed we are purified, and our God is glorified!'

Perhaps some of us are like this old oak log, cold, hard, insensible; we should give forth no melodious sounds, were it not for the fire which kindles around us, and releases notes of trust in Him, and cheerful compliance with His will.
As I mused the fire burned,' and my soul found sweet comfort in the parable so strangely set forth before me.

Yes, God helping us, if that is the only way to get harmony out of these hard apathetic hearts, let the furnace be heated seven times hotter than before."

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