Have FaithSample

Day 2: Trusting God When Things Don’t Go as Planned

Unfortunately, life in these fleshly bodies presents few, if any, guarantees. Time moves swiftly, and it is filled with uncertainties that include unexpected challenges, unmanifested prayers, and seasons of long-suffering. In those dreaded moments, it’s fairly easy to just rely on our own understanding and attempt to figure things out for ourselves without the help of God. Yet, faith means that we trust the Lord even when we don’t have all the answers. But if you’re like me, you don’t just want some of the answers, you want to know the who, what, when, where, why, and how—IN ADVANCE! Come on; be honest! We would all like to be in control from the outset, and of course, we desire to experience our opinion of success one hundred percent of the time. But, is that really what it means to have faith? Okay, if you didn’t say it, I’ll say it….OUCH!

Genuine faith, I’m talking about the kind of faith demonstrated in The Bible, requires that, despite our present circumstances, we continue to believe God and His ability to work out every detail in our favor. Now, the path to getting there may be filled with twists and turns that were probably not included in our plan, but all of it, the peaks and the valleys, was definitely in God’s plan. Absolutely nothing we experience in life is a surprise or shock to our Heavenly Father. Jeremiah 1:5 says, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. The Lord knows our beginning, our middle, and our end; we just have to surrender our limited control to an unlimited God and do the work to increase our faith through the process!!!

The life of Abraham is a great example of faith. God called him to leave his homeland without revealing the full undertaking. Even today, in modern times, the Lord often only discloses His plan step-by-step and not all at once. Yet, without the internet to do any research and without GPS to guide his travels, Abraham was obedient to the call because he believed in the faithfulness of God. And just like you and me, his journey wasn’t about knowing every specific detail, but about trusting the One who did. When we can still believe God in these types of conditions, our faith will grow exponentially!

Let’s take a brief look at the life of Joseph. He had dreams of greatness, but instead of immediate fulfillment, he was sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned. Joseph’s journey looked nothing like his dream. As the King’s kids, we all have expectations of success that aren’t comprised of any delays or disappointments. But let me remind you, delays are not denials, and disappointments don’t mean God has abandoned us. Despite the setbacks of Joseph, he remained faithful. In the end, God’s plan was greater than Joseph could have ever imagined. And in the end, my brothers and sisters, our Father’s plans for us are going to be exceeding, abundantly, above all we can ask or think!!!

So, HAVE FAITH! Stay with God!! I wholeheartedly believe our outcome will be far better than if we don’t!!!

Reflection:

• Have you faced situations where life didn’t go as planned?

• Are there areas in your life where you struggle to trust God?

• How has God shown His faithfulness to you in the past?

• How can you surrender your expectations to God?

Prayer:

Father, I surrender my plans to You, knowing that You are always in control. Teach me to trust You even when I cannot see the full picture. Strengthen my heart to cast down fears and uncertainties and to rely on You completely. Amen.

Action Step:

Write down a situation in which you need to trust God more. Surrender it to Him in prayer, and declare His promises over it.