God has a plan . . . but is it for the best?

[marietta]

Came across this quote in another thread:

“God has a plan and it will be for the best…hopefully.”

Wouldn’t a Catholic believe that God’s will for us is best under every circumstance? Or could it be that God’s will for us is best for Him and His purposes but not always best for us?

When we say, “Thy will be done”, are we doing so with the understanding that He is working through us (and that we have some (name removed by moderator)ut with regard to the outcome of a given situation), or are we simply surrendering to Him and standing back to wait for instructions?

What does " . . . hopefully" signify? Doubt?

marietta

 

[iluvmybabies]

Came across this quote in another thread:

“God has a plan and it will be for the best…hopefully.”

Wouldn’t a Catholic believe that God’s will for us is best under every circumstance? Or could it be that God’s will for us is best for Him and His purposes but not always best for us?

When we say, “Thy will be done”, are we doing so with the understanding that He is working through us (and that we have some (name removed by moderator)ut with regard to the outcome of a given situation), or are we simply surrendering to Him and standing back to wait for instructions?

What does " . . . hopefully" signify? Doubt?

marietta

Well you know how they say “bad things happen to good people” maybe that’s where the hopefully comes into place? You know…Like you hope that GOD has a plan that will be a good thing for you and your loved ones, but sometimes it may not be in His plans for the good things to happen at the time you need so you might end up for a while with “bad luck”???

Like when we first came to America, we hoped that it was in God’s plan for good things to come, you know?! Then I was “touched” by one of the men-my dad’s uncle- whom “helped” my parents out, during the time, then we were kicked out, because I believe the same man was “caught” “touching” my sister, but it was never confirmed, parents didn’t talk about such things… Then my father raved even more with his alchy friends and almost beat my mom senseless once…Then I was nearly date raped, but a friend of mine was there to catch me when I was passing out from a friend’s pool party that had no alchohol…I was only 14… Then my dad lost his job and my parents couldn’t pay for electricity so they shut the electricity out and I was 11 when I had to get a job to help pay for food and house etc… Then I had to help raise my siblings since my mother was forced to work…Then I was in a horrible car accident and in a terrible marriage…I almost lost my daughter in child birth…

So maybe not everything that happens is good, but we hope that eventually things will get better, if it’s GOD’s will of course…Like now for me life is GREAT!! I mean I am living poorly but who cares!! I have my children, hopefully my health for a long time, a great partner whom HOPEFULLY will be my hubby soon, and even though my family and I have been well not so close still love each other and try to you know make the best of things as much as possible…So for me that’s all GOD’s will being done for the good things as well as for the not so good things…

Please correct me if I am wrong for my opinion and feelings about this but that’s what I think is the HOPEFULLY for…you know you always hope for the best!!!

 

[Trishie]

Hi Marieta…It could have been an expression of the poster’s own vague anxieties. Perhaps this person was hoping that God’s will wasn’t something he/she wasn’t thrilled about?

 

[Trishie]

Came across this quote in another thread:

“God has a plan and it will be for the best…hopefully.”

Wouldn’t a Catholic believe that God’s will for us is best under every circumstance? Or could it be that God’s will for us is best for Him and His purposes but not always best for us?

When we say, “Thy will be done”, are we doing so with the understanding that He is working through us (and that we have some (name removed by moderator)ut with regard to the outcome of a given situation), or are we simply surrendering to Him and standing back to wait for instructions?

What does " . . . hopefully" signify? Doubt?

marietta

Hi Marieta…It could have been an expression of the poster’s own vague anxieties. Perhaps this person was hoping that God’s will wasn’t something he/she wasn’t thrilled about?

 

[dkoinzan]

I don’t see things the way you do. I believe that God is the perfect father and he wants the very best for us. We are just infants in our understanding of His ways. It’s like we are here learning so that we may get to heaven and God wants us all in heaven. We have to make the decisions and in the end God’s Mercy gets us there because we are so far from perfect even in the best that we do. He loves us more than we love our own children and sacrificed his son for us. Sometimes our life has suffering so that we may better learn to follow him. If it were heaven on earth we wouldn’t choose to be with him. It is a struggle to grow stronger and even God’s only Son didn’t make it out of this life without suffering. There is no way we can expect to leave this life without our own cross. If you understand that God is with you and he will guide you through your suffering, if you let him, you will have peace even in the hardest of times. He wants you always to be growing and learning about him and making yourself better. It seems hard when you see yourself in truth because we are so imperfect, but if you just ask God to help it all becomes much easier. I remember when I was a child and I would have trouble on a math problem. I would get so angry and frustrated and then my Mom or Dad would sit down and explain it all to me and suddenly it was easy. God does that also. You have to ask and be willing to do it his way. The most surprising thing I have experienced is great joy even in the most intense suffering. I was always afraid to suffer, but now suffering doesn’t bother me. I still don’t care for it, but I know that God is with me and guides me through with such peace. In the end I am happy when the suffering is lifted, but it leaves me sad to not feel the presence of God so near me. God’s way is the very best, we just don’t understand it.

 

[leonie]

I think Corrie Ten Boom’s book The Hiding Place is a great book for seeing how God works. So many times as the family struggled to save lives in WWII from the Nazis, terrible things would happen and later Corrie would see God’s hand in it. He has a purpose for everything He allows–if only we would be faithful and not rebel!!

amazon.com/Hiding-Place-Corrie-Ten-Boom/dp/0553256696

 

[udoc89]

I think it just means that, even though it may not be evident this side of the grave, Catholics are to have faith that God’s plan for us is always perfect. The poster’s response may have been an acknowledgement of the fact that God’s will might not be to the original poster’s liking.

 

[CatsAndDogs]

Came across this quote in another thread:

“God has a plan and it will be for the best…hopefully.”

That statement is wrong by the addition of “hopefully”.

Wouldn’t a Catholic believe that God’s will for us is best under every circumstance?

It’s not our job to decide what “best for us” means. Therefore, it’s perfectly correct to say that God’s will for us is always what is best for us, as He is “all-wise” and “all-loving” and is the only One capable of knowing what He means by “best for us”.

:shamrock2:

 

[Norseman82]

First of all, who says that God is a micromanager Who has everything in our lives preplanned for us? What about free will?

I have to wonder if a lot of people who resort to the whole “well, God has a plan for each of our lives” may simply be using it as an escape mechanism to bring comfort rather than confront hard issues.

And as to the original question at hand, there is a verse in Jeremiah where God says that His plans are not ones of woe.

 

[udoc89]

First of all, who says that God is a micromanager Who has everything in our lives preplanned for us? What about free will?

I have to wonder if a lot of people who resort to the whole “well, God has a plan for each of our lives” may simply be using it as an escape mechanism to bring comfort rather than confront hard issues.

And as to the original question at hand, there is a verse in Jeremiah where God says that His plans are not ones of woe.

You are probably referring to Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope.” (NAB)

That doesn’t mean life is going to be peachy all the time (obviously.) It presupposes that the reader has enough faith to realize that God has a plan for each of us, even when life appears to be at its bleakest. In this case, the prophet was talking to the Jews in exile. He did not promise an immediate solution.

 

[puzzleannie]

Came across this quote in another thread:

“God has a plan and it will be for the best…hopefully.”

Wouldn’t a Catholic believe that God’s will for us is best under every circumstance? Or could it be that God’s will for us is best for Him and His purposes but not always best for us?

to believe otherwise is to say “God has a plan, but my plan is better.” yes God has a plan for me now, he also has a plan for when I do not cooperate with his grace, and he has a plan when evil which he permits because he can use that circumstance to work in me for my spiritual growth, and he has a plan when other people in my life do not cooperate with his grace.

 

[Norseman82]

You are probably referring to Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope.” (NAB)

That doesn’t mean life is going to be peachy all the time (obviously.) It presupposes that the reader has enough faith to realize that God has a plan for each of us, even when life appears to be at its bleakest. In this case, the prophet was talking to the Jews in exiles. He did not promise an immediate solution.

Again, does God micromanage our lives? Are our lives pre-planned for us? Do not our own efforts and decisions fit in here somewhere?

 

[udoc89]

This has nothing to do with micromanaging. If this is the verse to which you referred, it clearly states that God “has a plan.” We may not like it, we may rail against it (your free will,) but that does not alter the fact that He does have a plan.

And, no, having a plan, which we are free to either deny or affirm does not mean that our lives are pre-arranged.

 

[SMHW]

Came across this quote in another thread:

“God has a plan and it will be for the best…hopefully.”

Wouldn’t a Catholic believe that God’s will for us is best under every circumstance? Or could it be that God’s will for us is best for Him and His purposes but not always best for us?

When we say, “Thy will be done”, are we doing so with the understanding that He is working through us (and that we have some (name removed by moderator)ut with regard to the outcome of a given situation), or are we simply surrendering to Him and standing back to wait for instructions?

What does " . . . hopefully" signify? Doubt?

marietta

The issue here is what is meant by “best for us”. There is a tension in us between what we instinctively know life would be in a sin free world and what it really is like.

There’s something inside us that tells us that “best for us” means we have plenty to eat, nice clothing to wear, a nice home to live in, families that love us, friends, fulfilling work (including the care of children and home), etc. There would be no death, sickness, poverty, or strife. I don’t think that this understanding of “best for us” is wrong so much as it is inadequate. It was a good understanding of “best for us” in a world before sin. But it doesn’t work in a world touched by sin.

Since we don’t live in a sin free world we have to look beyond our simple understanding of what is best for us. In our more complex, sinful world, we deal with much heartache but we believe God will use it to the greater good. We may have to wait for the next life to experience that greater good as “good” for us. We know in this life that some of us will not have our basic human needs met and we will not be able to meet all the needs of those who depend on us. We grow sick and die. There is plenty of disharmony between people.

I think to say, *“God has a plan and it will be for the best…hopefully,” * is not so much evidence of distrust in God, as it is an acknowledgment that “the best” is understood to be potentially unpleasant in the short run. It’s kind of a prayer request for a taste of “the best” right now.

 

[Norseman82]

This has nothing to do with micromanaging. If this is the verse to which you referred, it clearly states that God “has a plan.” We may not like it, we may rail against it (your free will,) but that does not alter the fact that He does have a plan.

And, no, having a plan, which we are free to either deny or affirm does not mean that our lives are pre-arranged.

That sounds nice “on paper”, but speculating on “God’s will” can be abused in a cult-like manner to manipulate people.

 

[udoc89]

That sounds nice “on paper”, but speculating on “God’s will” can be abused in a cult-like manner to manipulate people.

Well–I suppose the Bible could be called paper, but that is exactly what the verse you referred to says. I will reiterate, God has plans for each of us. As a Catholic, I believe that. I also believe that what he has planned for me (the hope of eternity) is infinitely better than anything I could come up with for myself. If I have to go through some suffering along the way, at least I am in good company. This is not “speculating on God’s will.” I hardly think the poster Marietta referenced had it in mind to manipulate people in a “cult-like mannter.” Nor did I.

God never promises anyone a life free of suffering. It is perhaps overstating the obvious, but what would have been the purpose of the crucifixion if He had?

In any case, I’m not going to argue with you for the sake of argument. Please refer to puzzleannie’s post from yesterday. She put it more clearly than I did.

 

[iluvmybabies]

Again, does God micromanage our lives? Are our lives pre-planned for us? Do not our own efforts and decisions fit in here somewhere?

I think free will is always in effect with how we live our lives and as such our decisions as well and that’s where the whole we hope thing comes into play because we hope GOD will help us get out of the messes we get ourselves into!!!