Nothing ever goes as planned. It's a line in an old song and it's a tune that runs through my head frequently when things just aren't going to plan! But oh, am I glad things don't always go as I planned them or I don't know where I would be today.
My life didn't turn out the way I "planned" it. I laugh as I think of my own plans back then,though "good health" was certainly a good idea. But who I thought I would marry, what career I thought I'd be in, how many kids and who they would be and where I would live and what my life would be-yeah, none of that manifested! And I laugh as I think back to my eighteen-year old self,praying for what I thought I wanted,getting something entirely different, and thinking God must not have been listening! Oh,now I know! I surely know. He wanted so much better for me than I could ever have imagined!
"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." Jeremiah 29:11
So if God already knows the plan, He's already set to prosper me, not harm me, and give me a hope and a future, then I need to trust that whatever is set before me is part of His plan. This doesn't mean I will be without suffering or hardship or disappointment. It just means as my planner, He will be with me through it all. Just like parents who can see around corners for their children and guide them through life situations, God will lead us to our future,helping us, and stirring us with hope. This is the kind of hope that takes life's unplanned events to a higher level for others who may be watching us live that out. This is where God's glory can be seen. This is why it's okay when things don't go as we plan them.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
Isn't it a comfort to know that we don't have to have it all figured out? That we can rely on God to know the answers when we just have no earthly idea what's going to happen next? I am one of those people who loses her mind when the power goes out. I am one of those people who panics when the car won't start or finds a bat in the house. I am a type B personality most of the time, but I become a type A all the way when things happen that I can't fix by myself or control, and I have to depend on others to help me. Can God turn the power back on or shoo a bat or start my car? Well, He can sure provide the help that will. And I've learned to change my verbiage from "Are you kidding meeeee!" to "Okay...what can I do about this?" That is me relying on God and not relying on me. It's a power shift that needed to happen, much like when we make plans. And as the old saying goes, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans!" Ha! I must have given Him the giggles a few times.
We need to remember when we're making plans to include God in them. He wants a seat at the marriage,job, party, relationship, college, or whatever plan we're making, because He is already making a plan for us and blessing it. Having our alignment with His plan for us is where we are most effective in seeing God's will and purpose at work!
In their hearts humans PLAN their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9
Many PLANS are in a man's heart, but the purpose of the Lord will prevail. Proverbs 19:21
Don't lose hope if your own plans seem to be falling apart. Ask God to reveal a new plan to you so you can have peace and move forward with a new and better outcome in mind. I sure didn't plan on having a chronic illness, and I know it's not God's plan for me to be sick, but every sickness I've endured has brought me some kind of blessing or some person that I just can't live without. I can't even imagine what my life would have been had it gone any other way. Maybe the plans you had involved someone who is no longer with you, and there's no good answer for that. Only God knows why sometimes things don't turn out seemingly for our good. But we have to believe He is good, and we all have a purpose and it is good. He loves us and that will never change. May He wrap his loving arms around you and comfort you and give you peace from all your broken plans.
My life didn't turn out the way I "planned" it. I laugh as I think of my own plans back then,though "good health" was certainly a good idea. But who I thought I would marry, what career I thought I'd be in, how many kids and who they would be and where I would live and what my life would be-yeah, none of that manifested! And I laugh as I think back to my eighteen-year old self,praying for what I thought I wanted,getting something entirely different, and thinking God must not have been listening! Oh,now I know! I surely know. He wanted so much better for me than I could ever have imagined!
"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." Jeremiah 29:11
So if God already knows the plan, He's already set to prosper me, not harm me, and give me a hope and a future, then I need to trust that whatever is set before me is part of His plan. This doesn't mean I will be without suffering or hardship or disappointment. It just means as my planner, He will be with me through it all. Just like parents who can see around corners for their children and guide them through life situations, God will lead us to our future,helping us, and stirring us with hope. This is the kind of hope that takes life's unplanned events to a higher level for others who may be watching us live that out. This is where God's glory can be seen. This is why it's okay when things don't go as we plan them.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
Isn't it a comfort to know that we don't have to have it all figured out? That we can rely on God to know the answers when we just have no earthly idea what's going to happen next? I am one of those people who loses her mind when the power goes out. I am one of those people who panics when the car won't start or finds a bat in the house. I am a type B personality most of the time, but I become a type A all the way when things happen that I can't fix by myself or control, and I have to depend on others to help me. Can God turn the power back on or shoo a bat or start my car? Well, He can sure provide the help that will. And I've learned to change my verbiage from "Are you kidding meeeee!" to "Okay...what can I do about this?" That is me relying on God and not relying on me. It's a power shift that needed to happen, much like when we make plans. And as the old saying goes, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans!" Ha! I must have given Him the giggles a few times.
We need to remember when we're making plans to include God in them. He wants a seat at the marriage,job, party, relationship, college, or whatever plan we're making, because He is already making a plan for us and blessing it. Having our alignment with His plan for us is where we are most effective in seeing God's will and purpose at work!
In their hearts humans PLAN their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9
Many PLANS are in a man's heart, but the purpose of the Lord will prevail. Proverbs 19:21
Don't lose hope if your own plans seem to be falling apart. Ask God to reveal a new plan to you so you can have peace and move forward with a new and better outcome in mind. I sure didn't plan on having a chronic illness, and I know it's not God's plan for me to be sick, but every sickness I've endured has brought me some kind of blessing or some person that I just can't live without. I can't even imagine what my life would have been had it gone any other way. Maybe the plans you had involved someone who is no longer with you, and there's no good answer for that. Only God knows why sometimes things don't turn out seemingly for our good. But we have to believe He is good, and we all have a purpose and it is good. He loves us and that will never change. May He wrap his loving arms around you and comfort you and give you peace from all your broken plans.
Blessings to you! Thanks for reading.
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