Tuesday, August 22, 2017

When You Don't Know the Plan

You’ve heard it before: God works in mysterious ways.  We’ve all heard our fair share of amazing stories of God’s works from friends and family; and thanks to social media, we get to hear the stories of total strangers!  

The thing is, we often have trouble following along with how God works, and what His plans for us are.  Especially when things don’t go the way we expect, or we experience a significant change in our lives: a life-altering change.

Our family has experienced one of those life-altering changes recently, and it’s affecting the way we view our future days.  From my own experiences, I know that too much comfort can draw us away from God.  When we know we have good health, that we are financially secure, that there is a roof over our head and food in the kitchen, and life is moving along without any major dilemmas, we kind of let God fall to the side.  I’m guilty of this. Even worse, I see it as it’s happening, but I still don’t put nearly as much effort into my quiet time with Him as I want to or should.  We become so comfortable and sure of ourselves and we get so wrapped up in the daily noise that we forget how much we need Him!

Right now, I’m thankful to Him for this reminder of my need for Him.  Two weeks ago, let’s just say I was not feeling so thankful.  I was hurt and confused.  Even as recent as the past few days, I’ve been sad, depressed, short tempered, and impatient. Not exactly the “light” God calls us to be.  With this life-change, this shifting of our future view, came many new questions and concerns.  So much uncertainty.  Me asking over and over again: “God, what is your plan here?”

IMG_1764.JPGThis morning I woke up, in a similar mood as mentioned above.  My husband and I got the children up, dressed, fed, lunches packed, and off to school.  He headed off to the gym with our youngest, but today I stayed behind.  It was time for me to stop asking questions, and start trusting God with our situation.  I grabbed my bible and my notebook where I record my prayers, thoughts, verses and notes from Sunday messages and small group meetings.  Before I opened my bible, I said the little prayer I always say: “Lord, show me what you need me to know today.  Help me read these words you’ve left for me and give me the wisdom to understand you.” As I opened up my bible, the pages slipped away, leaving the cover open.  There, tucked away and forgotten in my troubles, lay this card:

The words printed on the front spoke to my heart this morning.  

“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, don’t lean on your own understanding.  In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.”
                          - Proverbs 3:5-6

ALL your heart, not your head, not just a piece of your heart, but ALL of it!  Acknowlege Him in ALL your ways; not just when you are happy, but when you are sad, disappointed, angry, joyful, or even devoid of emotion. Whether you are rich or poor, healthy or sick, busy or bored, acknowledge Him!

This card was sent to me from a dear group of bible study friends in Pennsylvania that I spent a short time with. I hardly knew them but love them greatly and still pray for them.  Last August, my family moved from Pennsylvania to Georgia for my husbands work, not knowing anyone in Georgia.  After we moved to Georgia, I received this note from the study group, filled with encouragement and love.  Their words picked up my homesick heart, and I tucked the card away in my bible, not knowing the much needed encouragement it would bring me many months later.

I read this verse several times, letting its meaning wash over me.  

It doesn’t matter what the future holds, let alone next week.  God tells us to trust in Him.  
Need a clean bill of health? Trust Him.  
Need a financial income? Trust Him.
Need peace in a world that cannot promise you peace? TRUST HIM!

I’m working through a Kasey Van Norman study with my Monday night ladies group and last night, Kasey talked about how it’s during the times of ease and prosperity that we tend to “drift” from God. It’s not God who moved, it’s us.  We still have our moments of thankfulness and recognizing blessings. But blessings are temporary and we take them for granted.  God gives and he takes away. And when the rough times come, we learn to lean on Him and spend more of our day thinking on Him and spending more time with Him.  When we are troubled, there is no better way to find peace than in His presence.  

I’m discovering that it’s often during times of trouble that God shows us the greatest blessings, and that’s the people around us.  He’s given us a family here in Georgia, where a year ago we knew no one.  During a time of uncertainty, we’ve been blessed with encouragement, prayers, meals, fellowship, and ways to continue our everyday activities to alleviate stress and keep our bodies healthy and active.  So many blessings to be truly thankful for.  


“God is good, and He cannot be anything else.”  -Joyce Meyer


Blessings to you.

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