By Roxanne Smith
God’s got a plan!
God’s got a time!
God cares for you!
God’s got a plan!
God’s got a time!
God cares for you!
I want to internalize this cheer from Sunday’s sermon. There’s a reason that cheers were developed. They work! No, they don’t guarantee that your team wins every time. But they do get you involved in the game, into supporting your team. Our cheers get us emotionally involved.
They can even change the way we think.
“Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conqu’ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
The leaders and best/ The champions of the West!”1
I’ve noticed that Pastor Justin has been using repetition in his sermons lately. At Easter, it was, “God’s on a mission, and nothing can stop Him!” Sunday it was, “God’s got a plan! God’s got a time! God cares for you!”
Why do we need repetition? It all starts with our minds. The devil puts lies in front of us over and over. We may start to believe his lies. Once we believe the lies, our minds can repeat them over and over again. Never mind that they aren’t accurate or true.
For example, we can start to believe that we aren’t very important. Or that God doesn’t care about our lives. Or that God doesn’t really know the details of our circumstances.
It can seem like this is coming from us or our minds, when in reality, it is of the devil. The devil puts a wrong “cheer'” in our minds, trying to replace God’s “cheer” of truth. So we can’t always trust our thoughts.
That’s why we always need to compare what we are believing with what God’s Word (the Bible) is telling us. And when there’s disagreement, the Bible wins.
That’s why we always need to compare what we are believing with what God’s Word (the Bible) is telling us.
My mind: “I have no idea what’s going to happen, but it doesn’t feel like God’s in control.”
God’s Word: “God’s got a plan.”
My mind: “I can’t ever face this hard decision / circumstance / change. Maybe I can put it off indefinitely.”
God’s Word: ”God’s got a time.”
My mind: “If God really cared, He wouldn’t let me go through so much hardship. I wouldn’t feel so anxious.”
God’s Word: “God cares for you! Cast all of your anxieties on Him. It’s going to be OK. Trust Him. You’ll see!”
The cheers from God tell us to follow His lead. They remind us of past victories He’s given and point to future victories. They create a living hope.
So how about it? Will we join in the cheer?
God’s got a plan!
God’s got a time!
God cares for you!
1 MGOBLUE.COM, “The Victors” (University of Michigan Fight Song)
