Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. ~ Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)
Planning, for some, is hard. I used to be better at planning than I am now. My sanguineness has taken over, and though I think about things that are coming up, I don’t always take the time to sit down and list all the things I need to do beforehand. It is quite the opposite with my wife. She is a great planner. She makes lists when we are preparing to travel. She will make a menu for each day and grocery list for the items we’ll need to purchase either before we leave or when we arrive at our destination. She keeps mental lists of the things that need to be packed depending on where we are going. She is the organized one when it comes to our travels. God bless my wife. She keeps us all sane.
But, even the greatest planners on the planet (engineers, urban planners, architects, computer scientists, etc.) pale in comparison to the greatest planner in the universe. God. He doesn’t just spend a few minutes, hours, months, or even years making plans. He spends thousands, if not millions, of years making sure everything is ready to go – especially when it comes to you and me.
As the verse says, “Before he made the world, God loved us…” Marinate on that for a minute or two. We believe the earth is around six thousand or so years old (give or take a millennia or two). So, at least six or so thousand years ago God the Father thought of you, and when He saw your face, His love for you welled up as He smiled. He saw in advance His precious child, and it made Him giddy with joy. That is how much God loves us.
But, even beyond that, Jesus saw your face, too. He was there with the Father. And, when He saw your face, His love for you lit up His face with a smile. Then, a sobering thought entered His mind. It was a question: “Will I die for this person so that they may live?” Without a second thought, as Jesus dwelt upon your face, He answered, “Of course I will. I love you.”
Before the world began, God knew who you would be, including the mistakes you would make. But, He didn’t see the mistakes. He saw you, His precious child. He saw you and decided to lay down His life for yours. Your salvation was millenniums in the making. Thank you, Jesus!
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