We all have plans. There’s large plans such as going to college, having a family, or getting a job, and there’s also smaller plans such as hanging out with friends, going shopping, or making pasta for dinner. In our mind, most of us have some idea for our future whether it’s ten minutes from now or ten years from now.
The simple truth is this: We spend so much of our time designing our future and focusing on fulfilling the ideas that we have for ourselves. But what happens when our plans for ourselves don’t align with God’s plans for us?
Friend, I know we’ve all experienced a plan that we had been looking towards completely fall through. But what if that’s for a reason larger than you know? I’ve got some good stories to tell you from others and from myself about times when “failed” plans actually saved lives or resulted in something far better than was intended in the first place.
So, why should we trust God? And how can we do it? Let’s take a look at Scripture and really dive deep into the importance of trusting God’s plan (even if it doesn’t align with your plan).
What Scripture says about God’s plan (and our own)
There’s no better way to start this post than straight from the Bible! Here’s a verse I want to take a look: Proverbs 19:21. Proverbs 19:21 says “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
The Bible directly tells us that no matter what our plans our, the Lord’s plan is what will come to fruition. This Scripture is so important because it is stating a fact: God’s plan triumphs our own, and our life will follow the path that His plan has created. (Whether this aligns with your plans or not!)
In other words, people create many plans for themselves throughout their life. However, these plans will only come to fruition if it is the Lord’s will and if it is part of His plan for you.
Let me tell you a story about this verse in real-life action from personal experience.
All my life, I had planned on going to my town’s high school with my best friends and having the best years of my life with them. However, a few months before my 8th grade year ended, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend a private Catholic school. I pondered what I was going to do for so long (I think I made my decision on the last day!) and I ultimately decided that it felt right to have a fresh start at a new school.
A couple of months into the school year, I started dating my boyfriend, who has changed my life in countless ways, especially helping and encouraging me to grow in my faith. While I have no idea what my future and God’s plan holds, I hope I stay with my boyfriend forever, but regardless of if that happens, he has made the most special impact on my life and changed it forever in the best ways possible. I can so evidently see that going to this school and meeting my boyfriend (and taking a life-changing religion class that helped me grow my faith) was God’s plan for me, and although it was not what I had originally pictured my high school years to be like, it has far exceeded my expectations and I feel so blessed in more ways than I can count.
Another story about God’s plan
I’m sure you’ve all heard of the Titanic, the famous “unsinkable” ship that sank with thousands of passengers aboard and was turned into a movie (one of my personal favorites!). Well, my friend told me that her great-grandparents were supposed to be on that ship, but they ended up being late and the ship and embarked before they arrived.
To me, God’s plan shines very brightly in this story. His plan was to keep them here longer because He had more in store for them. Friends, sometimes God’s plans are different than ours, but there is always a reason for it. No matter what happens, remember that God has a different purpose and path for all of us. We all tell a different story.
Trusting God’s plan can be difficult when there is so much unknown. If you ever find yourself worried or uncertain about your future, I recommend you check out my post 5 Bible Verses For When You Fear The Future. This post is a list of some of my favorite verses that always bring me peace and help me to put my complete faith and trust in God.
Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us to put our complete trust in God because his ways and plans are always better than our own and to trust that everything included in His plan is for a greater good. Isaiah 55:8-9 says “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'”
Life lessons
If there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout my life, it’s that God’s plans are always greater than my own. I have seen this through failed relationships, changes in heart, disrupted plans, unexpected events, and so much more. Have you had an experience in your life where the opposite of what you had wanted occurred, but it ended up being better in the long run? Sometimes God gives what we didn’t know we needed.
At first, it can be hard to understand the reason why certain things happen to us, both good and bad. But in those moments, remember this: there’s a reason for everything. As said in the Bible, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” – Ecclesiastes 3:1. It might not always be our own plans that are being fulfilled; however, God’s plans for you will always be fulfilled.
Here is a great article I recommend reading about Proverbs 16:9 that shares about why planning in our lives is important but how God directs the path. Proverbs 16:9 says “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”
How trusting God changed my life
My life changed when I learned to whole-heartedly trust God and His plan for me instead of worrying about accomplishing the plans I had created for myself. Trusting God and knowing that I would get where He intended me to go greatly eased my mind and anxiety, especially when it came to the future. Here’s an example of how this helped me:
In my early years of high school, I put a lot of pressure on myself to obtain good grades in order to ultimately achieve a good scholarship for college, and honestly, also for my self-esteem. I felt like I needed to be one of the top students in my class to prove not only to me but to others that I had the strength and drive to do so. In the past, getting bad grades would crush me and give me so much stress that this one grade would alter the future of my life and that I’d be be seen as and feel like a failure.
However, when I began to trust God’s plan for me and put my future in the hands of our Creator, I finally realized that getting a few bad grades (or even a lot) would not stop me from getting where God planned for me to go. It’s just part of my journey to get there. While grades still matter to me, I have been able to alleviate stress and use the time I spent worrying and over-studying for better things such as this blog! It feels truly freeing when you’re able to trust God completely, it really does.
I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that everything you endure is part of God’s plan for you. I know it can be nerve-wracking not knowing why things are happening to you, where you’re headed, or what your future holds, but my greatest piece of advice is to completely trust that God will guide you and take care of you. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Friends, I hope that this post helped you not only to put greater trust in God, but to also grow closer to Him. As I discuss in my post How To Be Vulnerable With God, trust is so important in any relationship, but especially in your relationship with Christ.
Here’s some key points that I’d like you to take with you from this post:
- God’s plan is always greater than our plan.
- God’s plan for us might not always align with our own plan.
- The key to staying confident in God’s plan for you is trusting Him.
Have you seen God’s plan work in miraculous ways in your life? Comment down below!
Faith Filled You 
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