Recently, I had a birthday for which I got several congratulatory calls. But self-congratulation is not the reason for this post. The fact that God is in charge of my lifetime design is. I remember thanking God for the life he has designed for me on one of the calls. You see, at my age, we need to acknowledge God every moment. Otherwise, there is no excitement about the passing years; one day is just like the next. The caller stopped and considered for a moment when he heard my gratitude.
It turned out He had never thought of God as the one in charge of our lifetime design. And he is not alone in not realizing that God is a God of purpose even in designing lifetimes. But the Apostle Paul seemed to get it. He knew that God custom designs each life. That is why he advised that we should run the race that is set before us with endurance. what that means is that your race is not mine and my race is different from yours. In addition, the race is not randomly placed in front of you to run. It is set, placed there on purpose by our creator.
Guess who does that. The one who is in charge of lifetime design. His name is God Almighty, Jehovah Nissi. The race he sets before you in only one part of His lifetime design for your entire life and lifespan. Some lives he makes long while he designs others to be short. For example, don’t imagine that others killed Jesus at 33 years of age. His Father designed Jesus’ time on earth to be short. Remember, everything that culminated in his demise was so that “scripture would be fulfilled.”
Enjoy Your Lifetime Design
When you learn to enjoy and run the race He sets for you, God puts his banner of love over you. He becomes your Jehovah Nissi. Every race you run results in a victory and as you cross the finish line, that banner is right there. That race is not necessarily athletic. It could be in your studies, your job or business, or in your relationships. Once you see the hand of God in everything that happens to you, you emerge victorious. It also helps you not to be envious of others’ lives.
You are the believer who sees God in your lifetime design. And that is how you know that the temporary affliction is not from satan if you are obedient to God. God promises to punish all disobedience when your obedience is complete. Learn to obey God and He will appoint himself the specialist of your lifetime design. It’s quite simple really. Obey and enjoy God. If I am not mistaken, there is an entire hymn on that theme:
“Trust and obey. There is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Once you understand that, the race he sets before you is not only winnable but is also enjoyable. Keep in mind, His banner over you is love. He is in charge of your lifetime design and he wants you to have an abundant life. Never forget that, especially when temptation comes knocking at your door. Such temptation is simply trying to take your lifetime design out of God’s hands and give it to satan. God forbid!
Focus On Your Own Race
Additionally, you may fail in life because you try to run another man’s race. Sadly, many believers are in that category, particularly if that other person is successful. They compare themselves with others, an act that God calls foolish. Nothing could be worse than leaving your own race untended while you struggle to run another man’s race. God is not going to ask you about the race He did not include in your lifetime design. If he created you a Christian blogger, He would not ask you how well you performed in the choir.
And that is because your lifetime design had nothing to do with the choir. But because of the glamor of singing before large crowds, you join the choir. Sorry, but you are missing it completely. Instead, sit before your creator, your lifetime designer, and let him tell you what life he designed for you. Then start to run that race and see how God blesses you. He created us for His pleasure but many of us deny Him that pleasure by running in a race that is not our own.
Unless you start to appreciate that God who is your lifetime design specialist, you may become frustrated. To avoid such frustration is why this post. Find your niche is God’s grand scheme, obey Him fully, and then trust Him to bring it to pass. He will surely do so if you acknowledge that he is the one in charge of your lifetime design
Maranatha!
