God's Best Plan: In pursuit of God

By Riaan Engelbrecht

God only wants the best for us. After all, any parent only wants the best for their children, so why would it be different when it comes to our relationship with God? God's intentions towards His children have always been good, pure, glorious and wonderful. Only the best says God for His children. God's plan and purpose for us are the BEST, and this transcends every aspect of our lives, be it our spiritual journey or our journey through life. The VERY BEST God has in store for us will glorify God, exalt His Kingdom, and it will give meaning to our existence. It is the best that will prosper us in spirit, soul and body. If we truly seek God and His plan above all, we then seek His Kingdom and righteousness. And for those who seek His Kingdom with devotion, will be rewarded for the rest shall be added (Matthew 6:33 – spiritual and physical blessings and favour). As we love God, His plan for our lives shall unfold, be revealed and shine as a glorious light in the darkness. And the good news is that it is never too late to come into alignment with God's plan. Never.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Riaan Engelbrecht
• Release date: Jul 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201445256

Riaan Engelbrecht

Ps Riaan Engelbrecht is the founder of Avishua Ministries, the vice-president of Lighthouse Ministries International and the station manager of Lighthouse Radio. His ministry deals primarily with the prophetic, but he also has a passion to teach the Truth of the Lord Jesus and His Kingdom for only the Truth of the Lord sets us free (John 8:32).  He is also a qualified and seasoned journalist.

Book preview

Also by the same author:

Perilous Times Series Volumes 1- 9

In Pursuit of God Series Volumes 1 -15

The Holy Spirit Series Volumes 1 - 3

The Disciple of God Series Volumes 1 - 5 (Vol 2 Part A and B)

Deliverance Volumes 1 – 3 (Vol 1 Part A and B)

Crossroads to Freedom Volumes 1-4

The Kingdom of God Series Volumes 1- 4

The Prophetic Series Volumes 1-5

Apologetics Series Volumes 1-7

God’s Best Plan

Table of Contents

Only the best for God’s children

God is able

What is the best?

The blessed life of seeking God’s Kingdom 

Author and finisher of our faith

Favour of the Lord 

Giving our best

Wait upon the Lord and be at peace

God will sustain the plan

What God upholds will not fail or sink!

Purpose in God  

By the Spirit, not the flesh 

The Patriarch meddling      

Do not presume what is God’s will    

Let God’s will as established be done in your life   

God is good        

God’s promises       

The A-team        

Run the race to the end     

Because it is rained      

A cheerful heart of faith     

Our life divine – a colourful work on a canvas

Never too late  

Acknowledge and recognise the Ishmaels in your life

Giving birth: the elephant and the dog 

Only the best for God’s children

Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

God only wants the best for us. After all, any parent only wants the best for their children, so why would it be different when it comes to our relationship with God? God’s intentions towards His children have always been good, pure, glorious and wonderful. Only the best says God for His children.

As children, we have probably all resisted and rebelled against our parents, declaring they ‘know nothing’ and ‘we know everything’. We so often, even at times unintentionally and with noble intentions, resist God because we think we know the best for our lives. Just as a parent truly knows what is best for a child, how much more will our heavenly father who is all-wisdom not know what should be the perfect path for us to follow?  Matthew 7 says, 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

The sad reality is that often as His children we get into trouble because we have not listened to our Father. God knows our frailties and loves us deeply despite our misgivings and arguments, yet it pains Him when we follow not His perfect will and purpose for our lives. It really boils down to obedience, doesn’t it? It is about trust and putting our faith unreservedly into His hands. Sure, we stumble and fall along the way, but God will always pick us up. Sure, we may have gone astray regarding our purpose along the way, but this is still the same God who leaves the 99 to find the one lost sheep.

Proverbs 19:21 says, Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. God’s plan and purpose for us are the BEST, and this transcends every aspect of our lives, be it our spiritual journey or our journey through life. The VERY BEST God has in store for us will glorify God, exalt His Kingdom, and it will give meaning to our existence. It is the best that will prosper us in spirit, soul and body. If we truly seek God and His plan above all, we then seek His Kingdom and righteousness. And for those who seek His Kingdom with devotion, will be rewarded for the rest shall be added (Matthew 6:33 – spiritual and physical blessings and favour). As we love God, His plan for our lives shall unfold, be revealed and shine as a glorious light in the darkness.

Let us be honest, we do not know the road ahead, but God does. This is also why God’s word is the light and the lamp unto our path (Psalm 119:105). Despite how wise we think we may be, God knows all. Whenever things don’t make sense, to God everything always makes sense. We need to absolutely and without fail, in great courage, trust in God’s plan and purpose, even when it seems God has forgotten us or is punishing us. God never will leave us, He is love. God knows what is best. Yet is not always easy. Most of the time it is very hard when someone else, even if it is God, steers the ship of our lives. But He is our loving Father – faithful, loyal, longsuffering, full of grace, mercy and love.

Yes, many times it seems difficult to trust in God’s plan. For it requires submission, patience, and the strength to endure. In our anxiety and frustrations we keep praying for our will to be done, all the while we cannot see the perfect plan of God that needs to come into fulfilment. In Matthew 6 we are taught to pray for God’s will to be done. By the way, it was not advised but commanded by Jesus for God knows that His will for our lives and families is perfect and will lead to those wonderful green pastures and quiet rivers of Psalm 23.  He is the Good Shepherd. Shall we not simply fall into His arms, rest, and know He has the best intentions for us?

Is it not amazing when God does not answer us according to our needs and wants we blame Him? Yes, this saddens the Lord, for as our Father we must rest in His love, hear His heartbeat and know that in His Presence He will lead us. God demonstrated this truth of being a loving God throughout the Bible. Nothing has changed. His will for us is already settled in heaven. It is good, pure, and right. So we must trust in God, be still and not be fearful or anxious for His will shall be done.

In our fellowship with God, how often do we not try and impose our will upon God, outlining our plans and intentions? Should we rather not be listening to Him, abiding in His beauty and resting in His faithfulness? Should we not rather pray for the strength to follow His will, to discern His path, to testify of His greatness and the faith to endure? Exalt Him, for God is good all the time.

Philippians 4 says, 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. God knows our hearts. He knows everything about us when we rise and when we sleep. He is the alpha and the omega. He is the author of our faith. So even in our struggles, disappointments, and hardships rejoice for God is wonderful, and His plan is the best for us. Rejoice, even when your plan does not always work out for God is true to His Word and His promises stand forever. Yes, rejoice, for His plan shall be fulfilled if we just trust, obey, and hold onto His mighty hand.

May we always know that we serve a great God. There is no dispute regarding this truth. A great God of no equal. And the greatness of God is evident in how keeps His Word, and fulfils His Word no matter what. He brings to fruition what He said, and His promises stand forever. He shall forever be with us, and He shall bring to pass what has been placed within us to achieve. Such is the nature of God – majestic, beautiful, glorious and wonderful. 

God is able

If we agree that God only wants the best for us, just as important is to agree that God has the ability and is capable to make it happen. It is great if we are to stand around a table with God and He rolls out a blueprint for our lives. I know, God only shows us in part, but if we had to see what God sees our immediate question will probably be something like this: This is good God, yes it is wonderful and great and I can see what you want to accomplish, but how is this going to happen?

This is where God steps in and will most likely say to us to just have faith. For while we are called to be obedient to His will, we are also called to walk in faith. God knows in His finite wisdom that if we knew the entire plan for us, then it will simply overwhelm us. So He shares the journey bit by bit, calling on us every step of the way to trust, yield, submit, and to have faith. We are urged in Galatians 5 to walk in the Spirit (verse 16). God in His greatness and goodness knew it would be impossible for us in our strength to remain committed to the plan, considering we are living in perilous times, so He sent the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us on our daily journey.

Jesus said in John 3 that those who are reborn by the Spirit will be able to see the Kingdom of God. When we have truly yielded our lives to God, walking by the Spirit in obedience, we shall be able to see, meaning discern, know, understand and comprehend the path of God and the plan He has in store for us. Isaiah 11:2 makes it clear that it is by the Spirit of God that we are led by God’s understanding, wisdom, might, power, counsel and knowledge. We need the Spirit of God to lead us in might and wisdom so that we may run the race and see God’s best plan for us come to fruition.

Remember, the difference between faith and trust is that faith is to believe that God can do something, while trust speaks of knowing that God will do something. While God only has the best planned for us, we need to have trust and faith in His abilities to bring our mandate to completion. Yes, God can and will bring about the best plan. And without a doubt, He is able! It is rather funny if you think about it how we constantly try to interfere in God’s work for our lives. This is because we think we know better, or that we can do a better job. God is God, so why would we think we can do a better job?

Scripture tells us numerous times that Nothing is impossible with God. The Bible encourages us to believe that all things are possible with Him. Matthew 19:26 says, But Jesus looked at them and said to them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. In Luke 1:37 we read, For with God nothing will be impossible. We need to remember Isaiah 55: 8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

We read of the promises to Abraham in Genesis 12: 1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Can you imagine Abraham’s reaction? Abram (to be called Abraham after the covenant for it means father of a multitude) was in his mind 70s, and suddenly God tells Him to leave his land and travel to an unknown destination where he will become a father of a great nation! Our first reaction was to think that this is surely impossible.

So Abraham was commanded by God to depart the house of his father Terah and move to the land formerly given to Canaan but which God now promises to Abraham and his offspring.  Sarah, also known as Sarai, is the wife of Abraham.  We read in the same chapter, 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. Our faith needs to be accompanied by action. God had revealed His best plan to Abraham, yet the servant had to react to God’s call. And so obeying God's call, Abraham brought his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot, and the wealth that they had acquired, and travelled to Canaan.

Because there was a harsh famine in the land of Canaan, Abraham and Sarah travelled south to Egypt. It took 10 years before they returned to Canaan, and we find Abraham and Sarah were still childless. You could imagine what Abraham must be feeling. God had promised him the land and a great nation, yet for 10 years not much happened! And now, on top of it all, they were getting very old, and surely they needed a son to make a nation come to fruition!

It is because of our fleshly frustrations that we begin to come up with our own plans. Sarah suggested that Abraham have a child with her Egyptian handmaid Hagar, to which he agreed. This produced stress between Sarah and Hagar, as Sarah protested to her husband that the handmaid no longer regarded her as an authority. Hagar fled from her mistress but returned after angels came to her. She then gave birth to Abraham's son Ishmael (from which the Arabic nations are born). Abraham was now in his 80s.

In Genesis 17 when Abraham was 99 years old, God declared his name: Abraham – and gave him the covenant of circumcision. Many years had passed since God had spoken to Abraham without seeing the manifestation of God’s plan. Almost 25 to be exact! Many of us are in the same boat. Years come and go as we wait for the signs of fruit without much happening, and so we get frustrated, and irritated and begin to follow our own will and plan.

Yet, God had given Abraham the certainty that Sarah would have a son. Shortly afterwards, Abraham and Sarah were visited by three men. One of the guests told Abraham that upon his arrival next year, Sarah would have a son. While at the tent entrance, Sarah heard what was said, and she laughed to herself about the possibility of having a child at her age. Sarah soon became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham, at the very moment which had been predicted. Abraham, then a hundred years old, named the child Isaac. Isaac would go on to become a crucial character in the biblical narrative, fathering Jacob the eventual Patriarch of the Israelites.

What an incredible story! God had spoken to Abraham when he was 75 about His blueprint, and so many years later did Abraham see God’s mighty plan bearing fruit. And it was by the miraculous hand of God that allowed Sarah to give birth to Isaac. The great nation as promised by God was set in motion! Glory to God. Out of the nation of Israel would of course come Jesus, the Saviour of the world. So God had certainly not revealed everything to Abraham, but just what he needed to know. Abraham could never have known how his purpose fitted in God’s greater plans, which involved sending the Saviour to die on the cross so that all mankind may be saved.

No one of us knows how our purposes fit into God’s greater plans. Are not islands, ultimately, all our purposes intertwine when it comes to God’s Kingdom. Nothing has to do with fate or luck. God’s will is perfect and right, so we need to lean upon Him for He knows how to govern our lives to bring forth the best and how to bring about Kingdom-purpose. Proverbs 3 says, 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Yes, we must acknowledge God as our Lord and allow Him to direct us.

Consider also the story of Joseph, who was the most loved son of his father, Israel (Jacob), given the famous robe of many colours. When Joseph reported having dreams of his brothers, and even the stars and moon bowing before him, their jealousy of Joseph grew into action.  The brothers sold him into slavery to a travelling caravan of Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard.

Joseph must surely have thought his life was over. He was in prison, betrayed by his brothers! Yet God had a plan in place and it all had to do with the much greater plan of establishing Israel in the Promised Land. In Egypt, the Lord's presence with Joseph enabled him to find favour with Potiphar and the keeper of the prison. With God's help, Joseph interprets the dreams of two prisoners, predicting that one of them will be reinstated but the other put to death.  Joseph then interprets the dreams of the Pharaoh, which anticipate seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh recognises Joseph's God-given ability and prompts his promotion to the chief administrator of Egypt. Take note that Joseph also had to take action by faithfully interpreting the dreams!

Shortage of food in Canaan forces Jacob to send his sons to buy grains from the Egyptians. This is where we read of the story of Joseph testing the character of his brothers by placing a silver cup in the sack of Benjamin and falsely accusing him of theft.  When Judah offers to stay in place of Benjamin (the youngest), Joseph knows that his character has changed and reveals that he is their brother. Joseph explains they need not feel guilty for betraying him as it was God's plan for him to be in Egypt to preserve his family.  He told them to bring their father and his entire household into Egypt to live in the province of Goshen because there were five more years of famine left.  Jacob is then joyously reunited with his son Joseph.

This then sets up for the offspring of the brothers to be enslaved in Egypt and then to eventually be led out of Egypt after hundreds of years to finally travel to the Promised Land as given to Abraham. In the Promised Land, God’s plan of redemption to the entire world begins to unfold by establishing Israel as a nation and eventually anointing David as a king (through whose lineage Jesus is born).

How about the story of Moses? His story begins when the Pharaoh was afraid of the Israelite slaves because there were so many of them and ordered all the boy babies to be killed. Moses' mother protected him. It says, She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months (Exodus 2:2). When she couldn’t hide him anymore, she made a little boat, placed him in it, and hid baby Moses in the reeds on the banks of the Nile River. He