If you’ve ever struggled with the fear of missing out, the fear of messing up God’s plans for you, or you’re bogged down by regrets, I’m going to say something that will lift your burdens.
You do not have the power to mess up or change God’s plans for you.
I’m the sort of person who always needs to know where I’m headed. I want things planned out, and more importantly, for things to go according to that plan. As I’ve debated what to study in college, I’ve been trying to listen to God’s voice. I have worried about picking the wrong career that doesn’t go along with what God wants for me.
But then I heard that quote on a podcast last night, and suddenly a burden lifted. We give ourselves too much credit sometimes. We think we know what’s best for us and that one mistake can mess up everything.
But the truth is, what if the things we consider mistakes are actually a part of God’s plan for us?
I’m not saying you should go out and try to do things that will harm you or others. But instead of looking back on the past with regret or fearing making more mistakes in the future, realize that everything that happens is in accordance to God’s plan. He would never let something happen without a reason.
That can be hard to grasp, especially if something painful has happened to you recently. When the pastor at my church passed away, I struggled to figure out how that was a part of God’s plan. I couldn’t comprehend why God would allow his family to go through so much. To be honest, we may never know the reasons behind painful situations until we get to Heaven. But until we set our minds on things above rather than on just what we know right now, our minds won’t be open to the possibility that God is doing things greater than what we can imagine.
What about you? What’s something from the past that you can’t let go of? Are you angry at God for taking someone away or for not giving you an opportunity you believe you deserve?
It’s okay to be upset. It’s okay to need time and space. But we shouldn’t blame God for our pain. Jesus is the one who came down to take away our pain. He absorbed every single person’s pain, the result of our sin-filled world, so that we won’t be separated from God.
Don’t ignore that gift. Don’t take that gift for granted. God is here with you now and He wants to hear from you. He wants to guide you and show you His plan. But until you remove the barriers between you and God, you won’t be able to fully embrace God’s plan for your life.
So today, if you’re struggling to make a decision, listen to wise counsel and ask God what He wants you to do. Then, instead of waiting around, just go for it. Don’t look back, just keep moving forward. You are living out God’s plan right now, at this very moment. Isn’t that amazing? And nothing you can ever do will change that because God’s love never changes.
I know that You can do all things,
Job 42:2
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
The mind of a man plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
Isaiah 55:8
But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory.
1 Corinthians 2:7
The Will to Wake Up 