Walking in the Plan

I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments. Psalm 119:45 (NLT)

This is quite a statement from the Psalmist; a confident declaration of what he will do because of what he has done. I want this to be my statement, but as I look back over the years, I am painfully aware that this has not always been my reality. What I could say with confidence is that I will try to walk in freedom as I try to keep your commandments. That doesn’t exactly sound victorious now, does it?

I know the plans I have for you… to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Walking in the plan of God is a priority that every believer should have, for in doing God’s will, we achieve God’s will – release from the yoke of the prince of this world.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Jesus was anointed by God, empowered by the Spirit and sent to proclaim freedom to the enslaved and to set free all who are oppressed (Luke 4:18). In accepting Christ as Saviour, we have been set free, so why is it hard for us to walk in that freedom? One reason is that we view God’s law as hard, or maybe even restrictive at times, so we fight it rather than embracing it. The Lord’s brother, James, discovered the true essence of the commandments, calling them the law of liberty. He tells us that the one who looks into the perfect law and perseveres… will be blessed (James 1:25).

God’s laws are not restrictive, they are liberating, but only if we devote ourselves to pursue them. In the same way that trusting God’s plan requires endurance, walking in God’s plan requires perseverance, but gaining a future and a hope is worth both.

When we look to the Lord and wait on him; when we trust him without fear and devote ourselves to his will – we can walk in freedom.