By now I should be…raising three children in my own house with my husband next to me.

By now I should be… traveling the world and fulfilling my high school dreams.

By now I should be… higher up in the chain in the world of business and using that fancy degree.

By now I should be… fulfilling that great call God has upon my life in church and in ministry.

By now I should be… doing something important.

Going somewhere I’ve always wanted to go.

Fulfilling that ambition that’s been on my heart for years.

And yet I am still here.

Have you ever felt that way?

Like where you are at in life right now… well, that wasn’t really part of your original plan.

In fact, sometimes you feel like a character in a play called life and you are reading the wrong script.

You find yourself at a place you don’t think you should be.

And you wonder why in the world your storyline has not changed yet.

Why you still find yourself at “that” job.

Why you still find yourself in “that” situation.

Why you still find yourself in or without “that” relationship.

See in high school they tell us to set goals and create five-year plans.

In youth group they tell us to pray big prayers and dream big dreams.

But what they forget to tell us is that we should write those plans in pencil and hold them very loosely because at any given moment God can throw all those plans away.

And you will find yourself far from where you think you “should be”.

If you feel like you’re not where you are supposed to be in life then you are not the only one.

I’ve felt that way too many times to count.

As I’m sure many of the men and women from the Bible felt in their time.

I wonder if David thought “by now I should be King” after being anointed years ago by Samuel.

And yet there he was, still running away from Saul in the desert.

I wonder if Joseph thought “by now I should be a leader and fulfilling those big dreams I had as a child.”

And yet there he was, still sitting alone in a prison cell.

I wonder if Abraham’s wife Sarah thought “by now I should be raising that Promised child of God’s”.

And yet there she was, still barren year after year.

Thinking that if God was so faithful wouldn’t He have come through by now?

If God was so good wouldn’t He have answered her cries by now?

If God was so sovereign wouldn’t He have stepped onto the scene and made the impossible happen by now?

For you

For me

For each one of them.

I used to have this idea that being in the center of God’s Will meant that you always found yourself in a “good” place.

You know, in that place where you’re always moving forward and life seems to be full of joy and peace.

Obviously, what else could be God’s Will?

It can’t possibly be in a place where I question why in the world why I am even there.

And it has only been recently that I have been learning that being in the center of God’s Will doesn’t always mean my life is going smoothly every step of the way.

In fact, sometimes you find yourself in the center of God’s Will in a very dark place just as much as you do when you find yourself in a good place.

Joseph was in the center of God’s Will in the prison cell just as much as he was when he was sitting on the throne right next to pharaoh.

Abraham’s wife Sarah was in the center of God’s Will being barren most of her life just as much as when she finally had little Isaac in her arms to carry.

David was in the center of God’s Will being chased by his crazy father-in-law and king Saul just as much as when he was finally ruling as Israel’s greatest king.

And you are in the center or God’s Will just as much in the hard times as you are in the easy times.

Just because the place you are in today is less than ideal doesn’t mean it’s not where God wants you to be.

It’s easy to see the blessing in the receiving and fulfillment of a hope, a desire, or a dream.

But sometimes the greatest blessing isn’t when you finally reach your destination and get to where you want to go.

Sometimes it’s in the waiting.

It’s in the not knowing.

It’s in the not having it all figured out.

Because it is in that place that you learn to really trust God for who He is.

“Sometimes, it’s in the biggest question marks of life where we learn to really trust God the most. Trusting that He is good, trusting that He really loves us, and trusting that His plan for our lives (with the ups and the downs and twists and turns) is better than anything we could have planned for ourselves. With, or without all the answers.” –Debra Fileta

Life will never go according to your scripted plan not because your plan isn’t good but because it was never yours to write in the first place.

Don’t worry if the road ahead looks uncertain, if you’re far from where you “should be”, and if you have a big question mark instead of a plan.

God is in control and HE has the plan. And sometimes He only reveals it to us one step at a time so that we can trust Him in the process.

You’ll never see the big picture like He does, but that doesn’t really matter, because as long as you see Him that’s all you need.

He’ll make your life unfold just the way that it needs to.

If God is making you wait for something it’s because He is still preparing you for it.

And sometimes that preparation process takes a lot longer than we think.

But until you finally reach the finish line… trust the One that is leading you to it.

Never lose hope in your walk with Christ no matter how dark the road gets. He will be faithful in taking care of you. –Anna…♥

 

by | 36 Comments

36 Comments on Trusting God in the Unknown

    • Thank you Natalie. Any anointing I have is all from Jesus because I certainly can’t take credit for writing these words on my own! I’m so glad I can do what I love (write) and with His help encourage people in the process!

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  4. This is so true… After many years of anxiety, fear, doubt, tears, insecurities, shame, guilt, inner struggles I’ve now come to a place where I can say it’s all up to God. According to the man made calender I’m way behind schedule, but I’m soo exhausted of worriyng. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m looking up to the Almighty God who knows and sees everything. Just asking the Lord to fear Him alone in stead of people and their opinions of where I should have been at this point in my life. Looking back it is the Lord who brought me this far, there were times when I didn’t want to go any further. Everyday when I wake up, I’m like well He must have some more work to do for Him. Let’s be thankful for His Word where He assures us that He is faithful and always does what He says. God bless!

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    • Hi Rachel, I’m so glad that God has brought you to a place where you have fully surrendered your plans, desires, struggles and fears to Him knowing that you can trust Him to take care of you. That’s the place we should all strive to reach because once we are there many of our worries disappear knowing that we are in safe hands. I am so thankful for His Word too because during moments when I want to doubt and fear I am reassured of His love and faithfulness toward me. It’s encouraging to know that there is nothing we will face in this world without Him! 🙂

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  6. Yes, yes, yes! It is one thing to be lied to by the culture and told that one’s path must be inclusive of those oh so important milestones! It is quite another to be lied to by the church. Deception is everywhere but God is revealing truth to those who desire it. He is removing the false and illusions so that we can see what really matters. Living for Him and learning that He is trustworthy in every season. Thanks for sharing!!

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    • Amen Nicole! God has been teaching me and shifting my perspective so much lately about life and what it’s really supposed to be about (not what I’ve been taught that it’s about for so many years.) Milestones, plans, and goals are all good and hopefully we will reach and fulfill many of them but we must remember that our life will always be about HIM, not us, and sometimes that means our plans won’t work out so that His can. Thank you so much for stopping by. Be blessed! ♥

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  7. The “not having it all figured out” is one of my biggest stressors. I’m slowly learning to leave it in God’s hands. 🙂 Thank you for the encouragement!! <3

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    • Surrendering to God is one of the hardest thing to learn in this life (maybe because we’re taught to be in control all the time) but it’s so freeing to hand that control over to God and know that He’ll do a better job of meeting our needs and taking care of us then we ever will! 🙂

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  8. Amen. Trusting God is not needing to have the answers.
    I think God is more interested in developing a heart to heart relationship than what we think is important. And that usually means we don’t get what we want right away. He uses that to draw us into Himself and this is where we discover what we really want. 🙂 Blessings.

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    • Amen Mel! Our desires tend to transform and change drastically after we spend time with God and see life through the eyes of eternity instead of our own. Our plans falling apart and our prayers remaining unanswered are never a waste when they bring us to our knees! I hope you have a blessed weekend!

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  10. Thank you for this. I really needed it today. I’m trying to find an internship while juggling finals, and after reading this, I know I have to give it all to Him to sort out. I will get the internship I’m supposed to have, when I’m supposed to have it, even if it’s the one I hadn’t considered, because I’m not in charge. I’ll have to keep reminding myself of that.

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    • Hi Molly, that’s the right attitude to have! God is in control and He will help you get the right internship for you right now that will be helpful for your future. May you keep on trusting Him and surrendering your plans to Him so that His will work out for you. Be blessed!

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  15. Hi, Anna!! I know this is an old post, but I so need it today. Today I feel like life is moving slowly. I have that brain fog where I am just trying to remember who God is. He is good. He is faithful. He is with me. He goes before me. Thank you for this post!

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    • I’m glad this post was a blessing (even though it’s an old one) 😉 it’s always good to be reminded of how great God is and that His timing and plan for our life is always perfect even when at moments that doesn’t seem to be the case. May you continue trusting Him for the situation in your life that you are walking through. Be blessed!

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  16. I have so been feeling this way lately. I know God has a plan for my life but I’ve just been feeling like I’m not where I should be right now. I know where I want to be but I’m so impatient in the process of getting there. Thanks so much for this post!

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    • Hi Betsy, oh yes, I’ve felt this way many times in my life before (and still do sometimes) it always helps to remind myself that I may be off on my own personal timeline in life but that doesn’t mean I’m off on God’s. His timing and plan for us is so different than our own and it’s always for our own good that we go through the process of waiting and growing in Him. 🙂 May you remain strong in your walk with Him wherever He may take you next. Be blessed!

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  17. Hey Anna,

    I had read you post awhile back (more so stumbled upon it) but I needed it then and I need it now…I was at that place of feeling like I had no purpose and like I was at a standstill in my growth. I am here again and I know God is here and that he will never leave me nor forsake me. It just seems my mind is slow to catch up with my thinking and memory. I thank God for this post because its good to know that I’m not struggling in this aspect of my walk.

    I pray you be and stay blessed in Jesus name.

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  18. I love this! I feel this way a lot; I always feel like I need to be /be/ more and /do/ more. And i’m always scared that I’m going to misstep or do something wrong. But God’s working in me to change this pattern so that I can trust him more and more and more as opportunities come my way. It’s hard to remember that I’m exactly where he needs me to be.

    Thanks for this post!

    Sarah
    http://www.knowingthepower.com

    Reply

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