Do you know how many times my children have stumbled down a stool (or fallen off completely, for that matter) because they’re standing on their highest tip-toe, straining to see what’s out of sight? Me neither. Probably more times than I’m even aware of.

I drew this picture in high school, long before I even had kids. Baby feet on a stool – stretching, reaching, striving – to see, to grab, to behold that which is beyond them, and within the stool leg, I engraved 2 Cor 5:7, which reads, “For we live by faith, not by sight.” The Message translates this verse to: “It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going.” Which begs the question, what do we trust in? Ourselves or God? Our own plans or His will? Are we putting our trust in what we can see and touch or in what is far beyond our grasp and far better than anything tangible? And what keeps us going? That which we have attained, accomplished, and hold in our hands or is it the One who holds us in His hands?

Everyone likes plans. Some of us prefer extremely detailed, to-the-minute plans, while others of us find that just a general plan will do. But either way, we all like seeing what’s ahead. We want to know what to expect and what God has next for us. This is certainly not bad. Plans are wise, even biblical. And goals are extremely valuable and helpful. Surely, God does have plans for our lives; however, the plans we make in life typically revolve around activities and time and accomplishments, and we tend to question and worry over our future when we can’t see the outcomes of our plans or how He is working all things out for our good. Even when we’re trusting in Him, we still just want to know. But what if God thinks of plans in terms people and our relationships? What if His plans revolve around our hearts and our sanctification? What if we could know, and rest, in His greatest plan for us?

I believe we can.

Often quoted is Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” But if we stop there, if we don’t keep reading, we miss out on what His plan is. Verse 12-14 says, “‘Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.’”

In this passage, God is speaking to the Israelites who have been removed from the Promised Land and exiled into Babylon, and what is God’s plan? It’s Himself. His plan is that they would come to Him and seek Him, that they would speak to Him and He would listen, that He would be found by them. Then, He will bring them back to the place they belong. He’ll take them back to the land He promised them, the land He led them to by cloud and by fire, the land flowing with milk and honey, which he set apart specifically for His people. He desires to bring them out of captivity, out of darkness, and back to Himself. There, in His presence, is the very place where He intends to give them a hope and a future.

To be with us – that’s His plan.

We see this all the way back in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve heard God walking in the garden (Genesis 3:8). God lived with them in His perfect creation. In Genesis 2:15, we see that God did indeed have a plan for Adam to work and to take care of it all, and He definitely has work for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). Yet, what is the end goal? Why did Jesus endure the cross? So we could once again live in His presence for all eternity! God’s plan for His children has always been and will always be for us to be with Him forever.

If you haven’t yet heard Christy Nockels’ new song from this year called Evermore, I highly recommend you check it out! The lyrics go like this:

Your presence is Your plan for me

And Your will is where I’ll always see

That on every mountain high

And every valley low

You are with me

And there’s no outcome that is greater

No promise that is sweeter

And the answer I keep waiting for

Is You are with me evermore!

His presence is His plan for me. And for you. Yes, God has earthly plans for us, and yes, He will use our talents and abilities, our obedience and willingness in all that we do within our families, our careers, and every aspect of our lives to glorify His name. But His ultimate plan – His perfect plan – that which is the Will of God, it is His presence. His presence is the plan.

It reminds me of when JP and I were separated in the early years of our marriage. God had a plan, and He would restore our marriage. But I didn’t know that. For six months, I waited to find out if our marriage was over or not. I believed God was for our marriage and that He was more than capable of restoring it, but I didn’t know if He would or how. I believed He would heal JP and me, but I didn’t know if our healing would take place together or permanently apart. All I knew was Jesus was all I had. God’s desire for me in that moment, for each day as I waited and prayed, was His presence. And ultimately, His presence was precisely what I needed. He was enough for me.

The same is true today. Jesus is enough for this moment, for this day in time, and I don’t need to know His plans for the future. Outside of raising my five boys with JP, I don’t know what the plan is. I don’t know what God has next for me. I don’t know the outcome of the book I wrote. I don’t know if or when there will be opportunities to pursue other passions of mine. I just don’t know. In His presence, though, there is peace and hope in trusting that He knows and I don’t need to. God is faithful to fulfill me, to restore me daily, and to carry me onto whatever lies ahead.

So, we don’t have to strain on our tip-toes on the stool. We don’t have to reach as high as we can to see what’s next or strive to grab ahold of what’s before us. Just stand. In His presence. Rest in knowing that this is His plan for you. His best plan for us is not complicated or unknown. It is simply Himself.