“Providence is wiser than you, and you may be confident it has suited all things better to your eternal good than you could do had you been left to your own option.”

“In Gethsemane the holiest of all petitioners prayed three times that a certain cup might pass from Him. It did not.” - C.S. Lewis, The World's Last Night: And Other Essays

Gospel Text: (MK 9:38-40)
John said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.”

Making a life plan is a very natural and human thing to do, but it can be a hindrance at times to realizing what God is really calling us to do. There are so many events in life that we simply cannot plan for, and really “you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow” (James 4:13). If we do have a plan, it needs to be adaptable to unforeseen circumstances and opportunities set before us, and it especially needs to be lived out by discerning on a continual basis whether the choices we are making are giving the most possible glory to God. God will never force us to go down a certain path. We have to choose our path while being open to the opportunities set before us and praying to God for direction.

In today’s Gospel, the disciples were not originally open to others working miracles on Christ’s behalf if these people did not follow Christ exactly as his most intimate disciples did. However, God’s plan is so much larger and grander than anything we could imagine ourselves, and he sees the big picture. We need to be receptive to the mystery of God’s plan and understand that we can’t foresee exactly how our lives are going to be played out.

God wants us to place our hope in him and in the future he has promised us. He wants us to be free to serve him. So don’t let the cares of this world make you afraid or anxious. Don’t let your worries convince you that you have to overcome every obstacle on your own. Instead, turn to the Lord, and ask his Spirit to help you let go of worry so that you can live in the light of his promises.