Part 3 in my series on Identity.

In the last segment we read Psalms 139:16 “ You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” God designed us with a specific purpose in mind. He created us for a reason. 

My all time favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” I absolutely love this verse because it tells me that God has a plan for my life, even when I think all hope is lost and everything is spinning out of control. I can recall this verse and remember that no matter what happens in my life, I just need to trust in the Lord and follow his lead.

I tell you what, the last few years have been a doozy when it comes to trusting in the Lord. I thought I had it all figured out a few times and that finally things were working out the way I wanted them to, but then out of nowhere my plans all came crashing down and I was left confused and broken. But I know that God has a plan for me and his timing is perfect so every time things didn’t go how I wanted, I brushed myself off and picked up the pieces. 

After a few days of wallowing in my own self pity, I started to see God’s divine plan for me, and that He is taking care of me. If I had my way, my life would look dramatically different than it does right now. I have had so many plans that have just been doors slammed in my face. From relationships and potential jobs, to dreams and ideas.

But because my plans were not God’s plans, He guided me and closed the necessary doors. I am the type of person who needs neon signs and clear directions and God has been faithful to make it obvious to me when I start to go in a direction He does not desire for me. I had everything thought out and planned out, but it was not God’s plan, so He had to intervene. 

Each time I was so ready and excited for my plans which I had convinced myself was God’s plan. I had all the signs lined up to convince me that it was God’s plan and all the reasons to justify why it made sense that this was God’s plan. I had thought that my life just made sense and it was perfect. I was so excited for my future in this plan that I had created for myself. But God had other plans. 

I know that these specific situations happened for a reason, because I kept in contact with God throughout. I know His design was for me to pursue those relationships, but it was not for me to keep them. How do I know? Because I know how to listen and pay attention to God’s leading. Am I always perfect? No. Do I get carried away sometimes? Absolutely. But I know better than to make decisions about my life without God’s direction.

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭9 says

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

I still don’t know what God’s plan for my life is, but everyday I see a little bit more of his purpose for me and I start to piece together his plan. You see, following God’s plan is like catching a wave while surfing. You will never experience it until you just go for it, and you’ll never really know if it is His plan until you’re riding it. If you don’t catch it when it comes, then it will pass you by. That is why we must be always seeking God and His plan for our life. God loves to build a relationship with us so it pleases Him when we put in the effort to build one with him.

Does this mean that from now on my life will be perfect and all I have to do is sit and watch God? No, unfortunately trust also requires action, which can get messy. Think about this scenario, when you do a trust fall, you have to take the action of tipping off balance before the other person can catch you. It’s the same situation when you start to trust God, you first have to have the full confidence that he will catch you if you start to fall, but it requires knocking yourself off balance in order to be in that position of trust. As far as what that looks like for you, that is something you have to figure out. What do you feel led to do but just seems too scary or uncomfortable to take the leap? Maybe that’s what God needs you to do. 

When you trust and obey God and His leading, he gives you peace and joy. But you have to do the action and the follow through. you have to be the one to take the step. God will be there with you the whole time. He will catch you when you fall. But obedience comes from trust. So if you are struggling with walking in obedience because maybe it’s scary or will lead you down a path that you don’t want, just know that God doesn’t call you to do things so that you can remain in control. Sometimes it’s to allow His plan to come to fruition. One thing I know for sure is that God’s ways are higher than mine, and His plans are far better than anything I can dream of. I have been reminded over and over again lately that sometimes we are called to give up the good life in order to receive the great life. But if we keep clinging to the good, there will never be room for the great. Just trust, be still, and know that even if it doesn’t look like you want it to, He is still good and He is still God.

‘You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them. Lord , you will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from you. ‘ Isaiah 26:3-4,7,12

‘The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!’ Psalms 32:8,11

Even though God has a divine plan for our life and knows what he wants us to do, that does not mean that we will stick to his plan. We still have the free will to choose how we want to live our life. Sadly many people choose to stay comfortable and never learn to trust fully in God and therefore they stray from his plan. Does that mean God is less perfect because his plan failed? No, it simply means he is so loving that even though he has a plan, he has allowed us the option to choose for ourselves. So if we want to please God then I believe we should be following his plan for our life. The Bible says in Romans 5:8 that God works all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. 

Romans 5:8 does not mean life will be daisies and roses from here on out if you only love God. Oh no, it is saying that God will work all things for the good of those who love Him. It says FOR the good, not that everything WILL work out to be good. Sometimes bad things happen to good people for good reasons. Sometimes God punishes us to get us to straighten up. We are His children and He is our Heavenly Father, that means sometimes we need discipline. This also means that sometimes bad things happen to us but not because of anything we did, but because it is simply a by-product of living in a fallen world. We need to use those circumstances to trust God more fully and rely on Him with every ounce of our being. ‬ 

“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭13

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.”‭‭ James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭8‬, ‭12‬-‭18‬ 

I hope you learn to take that step and trust God. I can’t promise you it will be easy, in fact I can promise you that it will be scary and hard. But if we learn to trust God fully, His plan for us will far outweigh any plan we could ever think of.