Often times you wonder why you don’t have the life you think you should have. You wonder why it seems like no matter how hard you try or how much you want something, certain things don’t change and they don’t seem to make the movement that you are hoping and praying they will.
When the waiting has been really long, you have probably not only hoped and worked toward the thing that you have been striving for but you have probably prayed and prayed and prayed some more.
You can start to think that maybe that thing is never going to happen.
You can start to feel defeated. You can start to wonder if it will ever happen for you.
You can start to question God because you do not understand. You think that you have done this and tried that and you have worked your behind off at all the things that you think you need to and you are still where you are and not where you want to be.
You can begin to wonder why God doesn’t want you to be happy.
You can start to even wonder why other people are blessed and have their prayers answered but you keep getting told no.
Over and over again, no.
So many of us have found ourselves in this exact situation, sometimes, for a very long time and sometimes over and over again with different types of situations.
If you find yourself beginning to go down this spiral of a thought pattern, I would ask you to remember to practice the pause before you get too far down the never ending loop of what can seem like despair.
Just pause for a moment.
Make a conscious effort to put yourself on hold so that you can really take some time to reflect.
And, if any of you have ever been in this situation, you know it is NOT easy to remember to take time to reflect when you are in the middle of trying to figure out why God will not let you have what you want in life.
One of my favorite Bible verses is Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
This simple verse is fairly short but man does it pack some weight to it!
He, GOD, knows the plans HE has for YOU!!
And HE knows they are plans for GOOD… to give us a future and a hope.
That is a pretty weighty verse, if you ask me!
That verse is packing a lot of punch!
It is a declaration from God that … in fact, we mere humans, do NOT know all there is to know and we do not always know what is best.
It is a declaration from God that … in fact, He does already have everything planned out for our lives, just like He told us about in Psalm 139… He has it covered.
What we also do not need to miss is that God is also giving us a declaration of a promise here… He is declaring to you and to me that those plans He has for you, they ARE for Good!! They are to give you a future – the future that He has for you. And they are to give you hope.
If you really take that verse and read it slowly. Let it resonate with you. Let it sink into your spirit.
You will be able to see that God is really doing what is best for you.
You may not be able to understand it.
It may not make sense to you in the moment.
You may not like it one single bit.
But, I can promise you… God promises you in this verse,… He has a reason.
He has a purpose.
He has a plan.
Like I have said so many other times before … if we would only trust Jesus to be Jesus.
I do know that is sometimes hard to do in the moment.
It is hard to remember there is a purpose when your heart is breaking.
It is hard to remember there is a purpose when you have prayed and prayed and you think that God does not hear you. When you think He does not care.
It is hard to remember when you don’t understand why.
It is hard to remember there is purpose when you sit there and put all of your pieces together and make this perfect picture with your plans.
There have been many times I have gone through this process in my life.
There have been many different types of occasions that have brought me to this place.
And if you are like me, in the moment, you can be so overwhelmed with feelings, with the desire for the answer that you want, the thing that you want, the life that you want, you can be so overcome with all of these that you cannot even begin to really process through logically that there actually may be a different path that you do NEED to be on other than the one your heart is breaking for.
So many times, I have not had the capacity to even process this thought while in the middle of all the emotions.
Again, that is why you must remember to make a conscious choice to pause.
What if like the Israelites, you have to take the long way around because otherwise you would have to fight other battles that would make you go back to the beginning instead of continuing to move forward even though you are taking what seems like the scenic route.
It sure is not the most direct path to your goal but at least you are headed in the right direction!
What if God knows there are H.A.R.D. lessons you need to learn because you are going to need them to overcome something more significant a little further down the road?
What if God knows that you need to be in a new or different situation so that you can thrive, so that you can have stepping stone experiences that will pave the way for you to continue to grow.
What if God knows that you need His plan and not your ask, because otherwise, you would not meet certain people that will be instrumental to something specific He has planned for you.
What if God knows that you need His plan and not the answer that you THINK you need because He knows your answer will keep you in the same circles which are preventing you from having the confidence that being on your own would instill in you?
What if He knows that in those old circles; you would be afraid of being different, so He removes that obstacle so that you are free to let your light shine and your voice bellow!!
What if we practiced the pause and trusted Jesus to be Jesus with what He has for our lives because we KNOW… There is nothing better going on out in this world!!
Who else is going to love you enough to say,
My dear, Yes, I know your heart, but baby girl, hold on for me,
I know what you need.
Just say yes, to Me.
and I got YOU.
He knows the tools that you need to be successful in the life that He has planned for you.
He knows the heart that you need to be successful in the life that He has planned for you.
He knows the grit that you need to be successful in the life that He has planned for you.
Just trust Jesus to be Jesus.
Because, He does know what He has planned for you!!
And, gosh, you do NOT want to miss it!!
I do NOT want to miss it!!
Much Love ♥️
Michelle
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Resource Recommendations:
- Shine: Stepping into the role you were made for by Allison Allen
- Journey to A New Beginning After Loss by Scott Reall
- NIV Life Application Study Bible
- Tyndale NLT Girls Life Application Study Bible
- Breaking Free by Beth Moore
- Entrusted by Beth Moore
- Fervent by Priscilla Shirer
- The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Rediscovering Israel by Kristi McLelland
- Life After Life by Raymond Moody