It’s inevitable. Tough times will come along during our lives. A pastor friend once told me something along these lines: “You’re either coming out of a time of struggle, in the midst of a difficult time, or heading toward a challenging time.” The Christian life (or any life) is not always a bed of roses—and the Bible doesn’t promise us a life free from trouble. This week, let’s take a Scriptural look at trusting God through difficult circumstances.
When We Don’t Understand God’s Plan
“Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.”
2 Samuel 7:28, NIV
You’ve just lost your job. You want to have a baby, but it’s not happening and you can’t understand why. A loved one has been diagnosed with cancer. Your marriage is falling apart in spite of your best efforts. Whatever your particular situation, your dreams are crushed and it hurts.
How can this be God’s plan for your life? Sometimes our dreams don’t come to fruition and our best laid plans fall apart.
When things don’t go according to my plans, I’m tempted to assume God has forgotten about me. Maybe the details of my life just aren’t important to the God of the universe. Can I trust Him? In the midst of my pain, I tend to blame God instead of trusting Him.
Even though we sometimes feel forgotten, God is present. He doesn’t overlook His promises to us. He delights in us and wants the best for us.
I love how Corrie ten Boom explained God’s plan. She said, “Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.” (The Hiding Place). This is an especially powerful testimony since Corrie ten Boom spent almost a year suffering in three different prisons, including a concentration camp in Germany, after she and her family helped Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Ultimately, Corrie ten Boom was released (due to a technical error) and spent the next 40 years speaking and writing about God’s love and the power of forgiveness.
God is faithful, and He is able to use every circumstance to draw us closer to Him. Even if we can’t see how the pieces will fit together, God is weaving a beautiful story in our lives. He loves us more than we can imagine. In that infinite love, he created a plan for each of us. We can trust that God will show up. Believe anything is possible with God. He is trustworthy.
Dear Lord, we put ourselves and our futures in your hands. We believe you will do a powerful work with and through our lives. We submit our plans to you. Line up our plans with Your plans. God, Your plans are greater and Your ways higher.
Learning to trust more fully,
Allison