For I Know the Plans I Have For You

You know the verse, don't you? I love Jerimiah 29:11, it reaffirms in me that God does have a plan. I reminds me that He knows above me what is in store and has His best in mind for me. I have shared before how God worked in my life as a teen to provide a career for me because He knew he was taking my mom. How he laid out my steps when I didn't have a clue that I was even following His way. In reality, His steps were being laid in spite of me. We read of God working through rulers that are not following Him to bring about His plans for His people. We are not to worry or fear, just trust.

When my oldest son was about 4 or 5 he was very active. He wasn't bad, just struggled to sit still in Sunday School and not talk or move. I was usually met with phrases like, "He sure is active." or, "I had to get on to him for talking. He had to finally go stand in the hall because he kept talking." They always were careful to tell me he wasn't directly disobeying and that they could tell he was just unable to control thumping on a table or talking and they could see he struggled to sit still and just needed to move.

One day, I felt the Lord tell me that He was training him to be in ministry. I then felt that it was not preaching but more musical. Years went by and this son NEVER showed any musical interest at all. I enrolled him in piano lessons when he was 8 and his teacher sweetly made the comment that he and my daughter sure were different. My daughter was diligent to play a piece over and over again to learn it. My son, well he would maybe make it twice and was off banging out the theme to a show or another melody. He had no time to actually learn to read the music and have to practice a piece so he could play it. I eventually felt like it was wasting my time and money and decided to stop lessons until he matured a little and showed a desire. Never came. Was this feeling I felt years ago real that God would use him one day?

We bought him an electric guitar for Christmas the last year we lived in Florida- three years ago. It sat in his room a whole year, barely picked up. We moved, and all of a sudden he picked it up and started picking out chords. Within a month he had a few songs he could play and he knew the name of chords- all this self taught without lessons. Once he learned the chords he could just hear a song and pick it out. We still didn't recognize any amazing ability in him. He was at church with my husband. My husband runs the sound and lights at church so stays late and goes early. My son went on stage and picked up a guitar and started playing and the youth director told my husband that he was really good. My son started rotating playing with the church youth band on Wednesday nights and Sunday morning youth services.

In the last two years he has just blossomed and within a few minutes of hearing a song can play it. He plays acustic, electric, and bass guitar. He seems to have an ability to hear a note and play it without having to pick around. Well, two weeks ago he said he wished he had taken piano lessons longer and started wanting to play. He decided to learn a few songs and does the same thing with a piano being able to hear a song and immediately play it. Now, he can read guitar music but not piano, he has to play it by ear. He decided to learn a Reliant K Christmas song and within a few minutes was playing it. What has amazed me is he is not picking out a right had melody but is playing full chords with left hand and using the foot petal! Within five minutes. My husband came home and I made my son show him how he could play it. We were then all sitting in our media room and he was sitting on the piano bench backwards and I said that he needed to learn how to play some Christmas songs like Jingle Bells and Away in a Manger. He reached backwards without turning his head and picked out Jingle Bells, missing very few notes. This is behind his back, playing backwards, without looking.f

I guess I am bragging a little, I don't mean to, I am just in awe. I am proud of my son, but the true point of my bragging is on my God that long ago whispered in my heart that my son would be used in ministry with music. I spent many years not seeing any proof of that calling, but God knew what plans He had and without any other training or practicing allowed him to fulfill that dream. Are you praying for something and have felt God confirm it but do not see any fruit? Don't give up, God can work with nothing. He can bring about His plans in miraculous ways. Trust Him to fulfill his promises and do not worry about the process.