Not Part of the Plan预览

Day Two:  This Isn’t What I Wanted 

Real life is full of false peaks. As we journey through the days, weeks, and months of our lives, we’re constantly striving toward our goals, right?

We have dreams. 

Hopes.

Prayers. 

Longings.

Like me, you’ve poured out your heart to God in prayer.  What unfulfilled longings are weighing on your heart right now?

When I was at a point of such struggle waiting on God’s timing, I met with my mentor for help, and she pointed me to Hebrews 11:1-3: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

As your read through this chapter, you will also notice names of people that follow the phrase by faith....by faith Abraham (v.8); by faith Sarah (vs.11); by faith Moses (vv. 24-25); by faith Rahab (vs. 31).

All of these people were ordinary people, just like you and me. They each faced their own unfulfilled longings, fears, and unknowns about the future. They struggled to trust God. They didn’t have the end of the story. They weren’t sure how life would unfold. But they chose to place their faith in God and not in their circumstances.

And that’s exactly what my mentor was encouraging me to do. She used this powerful chapter to remind me that God cares about my prayers and my unfulfilled longings, but He is also calling me to put my ultimate trust and hope in Him. In this life, our greatest aim is not to simply get what we want but to know God more fully and to love Him more deeply. And we do this by faith.

By faith we trust that His timing is better than our own.

By faith we choose to believe that God knows best.

By faith we hold on to the promise that if we never get the things we’ve prayed for, God will still be enough.

After reading Hebrews 11 that day, I wondered how strong my faith truly was. If I had lived during the Bible times, would my name have been used as an example in Hebrews 11?

Make this sentence personal to you: BY FAITH _______________ obeyed God and trusted Him to provide for her needs as she wrestled with ____________________.