This isn’t how I thought my life would turn out!

Here's the Precious Prodigal post for August 18, 2014: This isn’t how I thought my life would turn out! #Godsplan #notmywill Please "Share" using this "ShortLink" = http://bit.ly/1sPrdpe

Proverbs 16:9 "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps."

Whatever dreams you might have had for your prodigal or for yourself haven’t come to pass, and who could blame you if you’ve given up hope that they ever will? If you ever believed God had a plan and purpose for your life, you may doubt that now. This isn’t what you expected, and you may still be stunned that your kids or your spouse became a prodigal.

Maybe your family was very active in your church, and the kids were in a Christian school. Maybe you had family devotions every morning and kept your kids involved in the youth group, in sports, and in everything else you could think of to “keep them straight.”

Perhaps you and your spouse went to the marriage retreats, and you’ve had a long and, at least you thought, happy marriage. Then the roof fell in. Your life hasn’t worked out the way you thought it would, and you may be convinced God has forgotten you.

If you’re feeling that way, I can understand it. I’ve been there too. However, my life verse, Jeremiah 29:11, tells me God takes a very personal interest in us. I delight in knowing that God has a plan for my life and yours, and that plan is to give us hope and a future.

That the God who breathed the galaxies into existence considers me important enough to have a plan for me is almost too much for me to comprehend. But He does. I know that because He said it, and God cannot lie. But wait! This broken child, this broken marriage, this broken heart weren’t part of the plan, were they?

I don’t know why God has allowed my broken heart or yours. I certainly had plans about how my life would bring honor to Him, and I tried to raise my kids to bring honor to Him as well. You probably did too. And there’s nothing wrong with making those plans. However, when our hearts are “devising a plan or a way,” we need to remember that it’s God who will “direct [our] steps.” (Prov 16:9)

Charles “Tremendous” Jones, a popular motivational speaker, says, “Things don't go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be.” There’s a great deal of truth to that. However, I don’t think it’s the entire story.

The truth is we will probably never understand why God has allowed some of these things in our lives. How could we understand when “His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways His ways?” (Isa 55:8)

Faith isn't believing God will answer our prayers the way we want. Faith is trusting Him when He doesn't. And remembering God’s plans are not the same as mine is something I need to hold fast.

Challenge for Today: Can you, just for today, remind yourself that God’s plans are not the same as yours?