John Lennon was perhaps most wise
when he penned, "life is what happens to you while you're busy making
other plans" – many would agree his words are right on.
At times our life experience is
smooth sailing. Yet every so often
we are forced to batten down our emotional hatches so as to remain afloat
during circumstantial gales. Navigating
through upsets amidst the changing seasons of my own life has taught me lessons
I’d rather not learn – yet they’ve birthed a maturity and sense of guarded
wisdom that has since served to steady my wavering heart.
Perhaps you too have had your patience
tested, vision blurred or hopes dashed.
Or maybe we’ve spun our own wheels so deep that the situational (or
relational) ditch we’ve dug seems impossible to escape.
Moments like these breed
companionship with discouragement and despair. At times they often lead our wounded souls into the slimy,
dark pit of worry and hopelessness.
Still others encounter sudden and
tragic loss -- the premature passing of a loved one, a chronic illness or the
death of a dream. While at times seemingly unexplainable,
suffering and evil is a stark reality – to which no one is immune. Sometimes all we are able to do is ask,
where was God? why her? why
him? why me?
I’ll not attempt to explain the
reasons for tragic suffering – but leave that for wise theologians as well as
for the survivors, whose telling of rising amidst life’s greatest storms speak
for themselves.
While a recent tragedy may not be your
story, you might be within a painful season of defeat and frustration due to
circumstances beyond your control.
Worse yet, perhaps your misery is a result of personal failure. Regardless of the cause, when life is
not “going your way”, may the following give you reason for looking to the
future with hopeful anticipation.
Bring
your disappointment to God
God waits for us to approach Him unashamedly
-- sharing our disillusionment and regret openly and honestly – with the
expectation that He will hear and respond. The apostle Paul writes “give
all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you” I Peter 5:7.
Just as David wrote in the Psalms,
we too can trust that God can rescue us from the pit.
“I waited and waited and waited for God. At last He looked; finally He
listened. He lifted me out of the
ditch, pulled me from deep mud. He
stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn’t slip.” Psalm 40:1-2 The Message.
When called upon, God promises to bring
hope and comfort amidst the dark and lonely seasons. The apostle Paul also wrote about the hope that faith in
Jesus brings and likens it to “having the
eyes of your heart flooded with light.” Ephesians 1:18, Amplified Bible.
God
is not limited by our misfortune
God can work amidst adverse
circumstances and personal failures.
In fact, throughout history God has used the weak and unlikely to
accomplish the impossible. God
continues to show Himself strong at our weakest moments. Perhaps it is our resistance to His
ways that hinders our ability to experience His deliverance.
So, slow down, take a deep breath
and hear God saying to you right now, “your
strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me” Isaiah
30:15 The Message.
God
may have another, better plan
When you're in over
your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go
down. When you're between a rock
and a hard place, it won't be a dead end—Because I am God, your personal
God, Isaiah 43:2 The Message.
God knows what He is doing. When our plans don’t work out, we can
trust that His will. He has “plans to take care of us, not abandon us,
and to give us the future we’ve hoped for” Jeremiah 29:11 The Message.
While these truths may bring
cerebral calm, our hearts are often slower to catch on. Yet we can be assured
that God is aware of the trials (and even tragedies) we face. He sees when our well-orchestrated
plans collide with circumstances beyond our control. And when things don’t go our way…. we can trust that God’s
plans and purposes remain.
"But
the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all
generations." Psalm 33:11.
"Your eternal
word, O LORD, stands firm in heaven. Your faithfulness extends to every
generation as enduring as the earth you created. Your regulations remain true
to this day for EVERYTHING SERVES YOUR PLANS." Psalm 119:89-91 New
Living Translation (emphasis mine).
As followers of Jesus, we can depend
upon these truths --- if you are not trusting in Jesus or if you are unsure of
where you stand with God – please visit www.needhim.com
