How Do We Fit into God’s Master Plan?

Understanding Our Role in God's Plan

How do we fit into God’s master plan? This question often feels like a mystery. We engage in the good works He has ordained for us (Ephesians 2:10), yet we sometimes find ourselves scratching our heads afterward, wondering why He wanted us to do them. I have scratched my head more than most. Not much hair is left on top of that old head!

My ministry often felt like plunging my fist into a bucket of water and then withdrawing it. The water, representing the congregation, repeatedly returned to its placid state as if nothing had happened.

To use another analogy, for much of my life in ministry, I felt like I was mixing batch after batch of mortar without seeing any building constructed. Frankly, it was frustrating. It didn’t seem like my efforts were enhancing people’s spiritual maturity. My Sunday messages had all the impact of a gnat hitting an I-beam, or so it seemed.

The Struggle of Ministry

Maybe you feel like your ministry hasn’t made much of a difference either. But that doesn’t prove it hasn’t. I still don’t have specific insight into how I benefited the congregations I pastored or the Conference where I served as the Associate for Discipleship. Between the two, we are talking about almost 40 years of “is anyone paying attention?” ministry. God's silence amid it all tears at the foundation of your faithfulness.

God doesn’t always give us a glimpse of the impact of our work for Him. If He doesn’t, we must faithfully carry out what He wants us to do. We trust that He has His reasons for having us do it. If we are faithful over a few things, handling our responsibilities well, even without seeing the fruit of our labor, He will give us many more responsibilities (Matthew 25:23).

Life After Retirement

Seven years into retirement, I can confidently say that my 40 years of active ministry prepared me for ministry after I retired. It wasn’t immediately apparent. It took almost three years of working in retirement to see evidence of significant spiritual fruit.

During the first thirty months of retirement, I didn’t use my freedom to travel here, there, and everywhere. Instead, I spent hours sitting in the same chair, near the same window, behind the same small desk, tapping away at my keyboard. I wrote two blogs about Christianity each week. I didn’t know when, how, or if God would use them.

I continued typing because of a persistent inner pressure from God to write a book. Much of the content I had previously written during my active ministry found its way into my blogs.

I kept producing two blogs each week, unsure of how people would receive them. Would these retirement blogs have more impact than the sermons and discipleship resources from which they were drawn?

The Unexpected Fruit of Ministry

By His grace, God has sovereignly chosen to prepare and use me to see far more ministry fruit in retirement than in my 40 years of ministry combined. I am no longer just mixing batch after batch of mortar without seeing the building God is constructing.

In 2021, I organized the 260 blogs I had written into a book, “His Power for Your Weakness: 260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength” (https://www.christiangrowthresources/his-power-for-your-weakness).

God has used that free eBook in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia as class material to disciple 16,725 people and lead 7,010 of them to faith in Christ. Don’t ever quit. Your most fruitful days of ministry may be yet ahead! Who knows? Maybe even in retirement.

Embracing the Journey

As I reflect on my journey, I realize that every effort counts. Each sermon, each blog post, and each moment spent in prayer contributes to a larger picture that we may not fully understand. The seeds we plant today may bear fruit tomorrow or years from now.

I encourage you to continue your work. Trust that God is using your efforts, even if you cannot see the results right away. Your faithfulness is a testament to His goodness and grace.

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