Isaiah 55:8 in the ESV reads "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord."
What an amazing verse to keep in mind in the midst of struggles. When our lives don't go according to our plans, keep this verse in mind. First of all, for Christians, "our" life isn't "ours" at all. It belongs to God. That's what it means to surrender completely to Him. To hand God the reigns and say "Okay, Lord, where do You want to go? What do You want to do?"
Secondly, there's also a problem with the other "our" in that sentence. We shouldn't be making our own plans! That's not our job; it's for God to do. I can tell you from plenty of experience that "our" plans mean NOTHING to God. He wildly shakes them up all the time.
"It's a funny thing, how much time we spend planning our lives. We so convince ourselves of what we want to do, that sometimes we don't see what we're meant to do."
-Susan Gregg Gilmore
Humans make plans and think that anything other than those plans are failure. This isn't true! Rather, whatever God leads you to do is what you should do, whether it follows your plans or not. Oftentimes, this trust is incredibly difficult to give. In fact, I myself love to plan. It helps me stay focused and have goals. I'm not saying that all planning is wrong—it just has to be aligned with God's plans for you, and if He decides to change them, then submit. Everything is harder if you don't submit to Him and His plans.
Even if it doesn't seem like it, God's plans are always far superior to our own. He knows the future; He knows what is best for us; He loves us. The God who made the universe, who made you, who made everything knows the number of hairs on your head—He can take care of you. (Luke 12:7) When our plans seem like the best way to go, remember Isaiah 55:8. God's thoughts aren't the same as ours, and we don't know His plans for us or others. No matter your circumstance, I promise you that God is with you. He'll never leave you and He does indeed have a plan for you, even when it doesn't seem clear or like the best route. Trust Him in all things, and let His plans guide you.
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Update on my friend who was in the accident last Wednesday: Her surgery on Thursday went about as well as the doctors had hoped. Though she still
has no feeling in her lower extremities, she does have feeling one inch lower than she did the previous day.
She starts therapy soon and will be transferred to a hospital that specializes in spinal chord injuries. Keep praying for a miracle; it already is one that she is alive and has no apparent brain injuries! Thank you for your faithful prayers!
I am so proud of you, Bethany! Your maturity in Christ is beyond that of most Christians. Your friend's accident is a major test for your faith in God's character, and this blog post reveals that you are getting an A+ so far. The verse that comes to mind in reading your post is "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)
ReplyDeleteI love you. God loves you more!
Aw, thanks. I really appreciate you saying so. It truly is difficult to surrender to God's plans for us, but it is so important! That's definitely a great verse to keep in mind in the midst of all this. Love you too! Thanks for the awesome reminder. :) God bless!
DeleteI am truly amazed. I don't know why I am any more but I am none the less. It is so important to trust Him with everything especially the important stuff like our futures! Keep up the amazing work my friend!
ReplyDeleteHahaha, well thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the post! And you are absolutely right, trusting God in every area is crucial. I unfortunately find it very difficult to grant Him this trust, particularly in the area of the future, like you mentioned. I just have to remember that He is truly worthy of my trust. Thanks for commenting, Michael! I enjoy reading your thoughts. :)
DeleteYou've gotten it just right, in my feeling. There's a YouTube couple that I've agreed with pretty much across the board to this point (they're Mormoms, and they don't refer to specific dogma, which I probably wouldn't agree with on some counts, of course), but their new series on "dream crushers" is too secular, I think. I'm hoping I'm just misunderstanding what they're trying to say (the series is still early going). While I think we can have some level of directional aspiration (still sorting through that conceptually), it's the Lord's will that should dictate the points along our path. The ultimate ends of our journies are typically unknown to us, at least in their specifics, but we have to just keep pushing as the Lord wills.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep on praying for your friend. May His will be done. In any aftermath, I'm sure that He will guide your friend toward something wonderful, in spite of any circumstances.
Certainly true! "I know not what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future", right? :) God's got it all in His loving hands and all we have to do is surrender and obey.
DeleteYes, thank you for praying! I'm sure God will work wonders through her!
THANK YOU FOR THIS. I've dealing with some stress lately and I think I needed to read this today.
ReplyDeleteAnd somehow I missed your post about the accident...? I'll definitely add your friend to my prayer list though. *nods* So glad to hear she's improving.
(Also: THE EMAIL YOU SENT ME WAS SO ENCOURAGING THANK YOU. :D)
I'm so glad to hear this helped you! :) Thanks for reading and commenting!
DeleteThank you for your prayers! They are much needed. :)
So glad to hear that!! I know how much of a blessing emails and comments can be so I like trying to make other people's days. :) God bless!
Beautiful reminder, Bethany! I love that verse becuase it explains so much of what we can't understand in the world. Thanks for sharing! xx
ReplyDeleteIt truly does! It just takes some effort to accept the truth of it though. :) I'm glad this was a good reminder for you—we all need those, me most of all.
DeleteI'm glad for the update on your friend! Though the surgery went about as well as the doctors hoped, it might not have gone as well as you and those who love her hoped and prayed for. No need to pretend it's not hard (not to suggest you're pretending, just to affirm you). Even though you recognize the miracle that she's still living, I can only imagine how trying it still is. I'm sending you a hug and praying for your mind to be renewed with the thoughts of God - not so that you're inhuman and can't hurt, but so that you can hurt and rejoice at the same time. *Hugs*
ReplyDeleteYou got that perfectly right, thank you so very much for the reminder! I needed that. :) I appreciate your prayers more than I can say! Thank you, Jordy!
DeleteThis is such an encouraging post, Bethany! Last night, I was trying to plan my future, and thinking about college, and when I should get married, and how many kids I should have...etc, etc. It really makes me stress out!
ReplyDeleteReading this post is like taking a breath of fresh air. "I can tell you from plenty of experience that "our" plans mean NOTHING to God. He wildly shakes them up all the time" Thank you so much for writing this post! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
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Receiving comments like this truly make my day! And to be honest, it was a reminder to me to go back and reread my own post. I'm so blessed to hear that you found this post helpful. I'll keep you in my prayers, Abi! God bless you!
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