Micah 4:6-13 HIS Plan
God promises to gather the broken and bring them back as whole. Israel will FIRST be broken. It is HIS plan, even if no one around sees or understands it.
When I was reading the characteristics of those that God will ‘gather for His remnant’, I saw more than just the physical broken; the lame, those driven out, those who were afflicted. I saw the spiritually broken too. Those who do not fall on the Rock and become broken will be crushed by the stone of judgment.
God doesn’t use the ones who are ‘self-sufficient’ or proud. He uses those who have humbled their hearts. Israel was proud at the time. They reveled in the fact that they were God’s chosen people, even though they refused to live by His Laws. As God’s chosen, they believed they were above ALL other nations. The blessings they had been receiving only made them prouder of themselves. “Look how God is blessing US.”
God was calling to them through the blessings and His prophets. He was trying to entice them to come home to Him. Instead, they credited their ‘fortune’ to the false gods they had taken up with. Finally, God started stripping them of their blessings AND freedom. Those who had the most were taken away first. The oppressed and outcasts were left for last or left alone to find their own way. Many of these would find their way into Judah. Their descendants would face the same end that they did; exile and captivity when Judah fell too.
Israel’s rulers in the days of Micah could not stop what was coming. They would suffer exile along with the people. They were not exempt, nor were they free from the guilt that caused God to judge His people. NO ONE could save them from God’s judgment.
God KNEW Israel would turn to idols before He first spoke to Abram. He KNEW the pride that would be built in their ‘own’ abilities. He KNEW the rebellion against His words that they would practice on a daily basis. And yet He STILL called them unto Himself. He STILL let them live instead of destroying them in the wilderness.
Side note: I wonder if His telling Moses He would destroy everyone and start over with him was a test for Moses. Moses could have said, “Go for it!” to God’s angry outburst. Instead, he interceded for the people with God, FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE. Was this for Moses’ benefit, along with being part of God’s plan?
EVERY STEP in His story is part of HIS plan. God is NOT operating on “Plan G” or “Plan Z”. NOTHING had derailed His “Plan A”. He NEVER gave up on bringing Jesus into the world to be our Savior and do the substitution work that had to be done. Jesus’ birth, life, and death are NOT ‘fallback positions’. They were part of God’s plan all along. NOT because He WANTED to see His Son die on a cross, but because He KNEW the necessity of it. He KNEW that man would fall before He even said the first words of creation.
He LOVES US ENOUGH to make a way for us to be with Him forever. He will NOT abandon those who are broken and ‘can’t keep up’ with the rest. He uses our brokenness for His glory. He raises us up above ANYTHING we could accomplish on our own.
Even Israel’s captivity was PART OF HIS PLAN. They couldn’t see it or understand it at the time. Some would never see it. But for those who did, they saw God’s fingerprints all over that time.
I have a physical example of God’s plan NOT being what one would expect of a ‘loving God’. I have a vision deficit that I was born with. I have been wearing glasses since I was 13 months old. In my early years, my mom blamed herself for my vision problems. My sister and I are 13 months apart. She didn’t want to be pregnant that early. When I was born with obvious problems, she thought it was a punishment from God.
As time went on, I grew to resent my vision limitations. My mom pushed me to find ways to compensate instead of letting it limit me. God also saw fit to instill a strong will in my makeup. This helped me push past many limitations.
Because of my struggles, I learned to understand others who struggle. I have an empathy that I wouldn’t have if not for my own struggles. BECAUSE God made me EXACTLY as I am, I am the woman He created me to be. If not for the struggles, I wouldn’t have learned compassion for those who struggle. If not for the strong will/stubbornness I would have folded under the weight of the challenges in my life. I AM NOT BROKEN. I AM EXACTLY AS HE INTENDED FOR ME TO BE. Including learning to tame the strong-willed part of my temperament. THAT TOO was part of HIS plan for my life.
I have a heart for others that was forged through adversity. That path was laid out for me from before my birth. As hard as some of those struggles were, they made me who I am today. I wouldn’t change a thing! I wonder if the nation of Israel says that today. I TRULY believe they will say it one day. The day when those who have been broken by falling on the Rock are made whole in His hands. Imagine what God can do with such people! And that INCLUDES ALL those who have done the same.
Father God, thank You for the reminder that I am right where I need to be in You plan at this time in my life. Thank You for teaching me that my struggles were, and still are, part of Your plan for my life. I’m not perfect or perfected yet. I still have a LONG way to go with You. But YOUR plans will get me through the rest of the obstacles ahead. Together, we will make it through! It’s inspiring to realize that You even included the ‘detours’ in my life in Your plan for me. THAT is humbling.
