Learning to Trust God’s Plan When You Don’t Have One

In moments of uncertainty, our natural instincts are to come up with our own plans for our lives. We decide where to live, what clothes to wear, or what we want to eat for dinner. As a big planner and type A personality myself, I am no stranger to making all kinds of plans. Recently, however, I have found myself on unsure footing. What do we do when we can’t come up with plans of our own? How do we know the plans that we make are good plans? What do we do when life throws us a curveball and we have no idea what to do next?

While it is harder for some than others to live without concrete plans, the truth is, we don’t need our plans at all. God’s plan is always better than anything we can come up with for ourselves. It is so much easier said than done to trust God’s plan and not lean on our own understanding. Even though it is difficult, we can rest in the fact that God loves us and wants to do what is best for us in every aspect of our lives. 

Admittedly, I like to feel in control of my life circumstances and struggle greatly with this as well. We have to wake up each day and choose to lay our circumstances and choices at the feet of the Lord. Each day is a gift and He guides our steps. It can feel especially difficult to relinquish our control when bad things happen and we just want to make things “better”.  The reality is, we will almost certainly come across difficult times during our life experience. You can’t always out-plan hardships. Even in these hard times of hurt and confusion, God can use our pain and struggles for His good. No matter where we are, we are still in God’s hands.

Choosing to submit to His will is a lifelong practice we must work at. We can sit here all day long and talk about what we need to do, but instead, let’s take a look at God’s word. The Bible has so many verses and stories that tell of His good plans for us. Becoming familiar with these verses is one of the biggest practical steps to trusting His plans for our lives. When we become familiar  with the character of God, we can see His goodness in the things He has done and has yet to do. When we keep our eyes on Him and who He is, we can better trust that he knows the path far better than we do no matter our current situation. Here are a few Bible stories and verses that will help us on our path to trusting God’s plan.

The entire Bible shows us that God has always been for us. He loved us and set us apart when he made us. He made us in His own image and took care of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Even when sin entered the picture, God still loved Adam and Eve and tried to cover and take care of them. God didn’t just send them out of the garden with no hope or no plans. He came up with the ultimate plan to save us from sin and reunite us with Him once again. Since the very beginning, God has been working for our good- long before you and I were ever born. 

When people did bad things or experienced hardships in the Bible, God was still there with them. God spared Noah and his family in the flood. He was with Daniel in the lion’s den. Daniel sat in utter danger, but God brought him through it unscathed. Of course, sometimes we don’t come out unharmed or unchanged, but God is with us through the hardships and transformations we experience. Think about the story of Job. He lost everything, had a horrible sickness, and felt so desolate and anguished. Did God leave Job to his own devices? Did God say “Job, you really need to come up with a plan. It’s all in your hands.” No! God brought Job out of all of that hardship and restored him in the end. 

MEMORY VERSES:

The evidence of God’s goodness is so apparent throughout the entire Bible. I totally understand that it can be difficult to remember these stories during our own personal hardships, but the truth remains- God is for us. Not against us. While reading our Bibles regularly can help us remember these stories in times of trouble, I have found that sometimes breaking things down can help us commit things to memory. We all live busy lives and it can feel daunting to find time to read long passages of the Bible. While that is something that I do believe we should strive to do, spend more time in God’s word, I also believe that God will meet us where we are at. 

If you are in one of those busy seasons- of motherhood, of working extra hours, or maybe a little bit of everything, try choosing a few Bible verses and making them your memory verses for a while. Write these verses that your heart needs to sit with on a note card. Put this note card or cards somewhere that you will look at it everyday. Maybe that place is on your nightstand so that you can glance at your verses before you fall asleep. Perhaps you could leave your memory verses cards by the stove if you are a mama who will be cooking several times a day. I have written a few Bible verses below that are wonderful reminders of God’s goodness in times of uncertainty. 

Bible Verses For Trusting God’s Plan

-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 hope and a future.”

This verse reminds us of God’s love as well as His character- He is good. He loves us and has good plans for us. The Bible tells us that He wants to give us hope and a future. This future may not look like the plans we have laid out for ourselves, but we can rest easy knowing that His plans are even better. He has the perfect plan for our lives. Trusting God becomes a little easier when we know of God’s goodness and love.

-Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

We may not always understand why bad things happen in our lives or why our own plans have derailed. What a relief it is to know that God can see the big picture when we cannot. He was, is, and is yet to come. He formed the earth and everyone in it out of nothingness. He has defeated death and has created a new home for us to reunite with Him one sweet day. Of course He can see the grand plan of our lives laid out before him! 

Proverbs 16:9 “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps”

-Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose.”

This verse from Romans is a wonderful example of how God is always working for our good. Things may not happen the way we see fit, but God is still working towards goodness and His kingdom. Sometimes He says no to something that we think is best, when He has something even better in mind. Sometimes we go through trials, but God will use them to shape our hearts to more closely resemble His own.

-Psalm 37:23 “The Lord directs the steps of the godly; he delights in every detail of their lives”

This psalm is so comforting to me in times of uncertainty. God is directing our steps. He guides us, not out of obligation, but with delight! He loves us that much that caretaking even the littlest details of our lives fills Him with joy! What a gift to have a Creator and Father that loves us so much that even minute details are special to Him.

 

If you still find yourself struggling to trust in God’s plan in a certain area of your life, do not be afraid to reach out to a fellow believer, seek Godly counsel at your church, or even share your struggles with your best friend. Sometimes opening up to those that love God and love us can encourage us to lean on God’s strength and continue our journey. I couldn’t tell you how many times my best friend has pointed me back to God in hard times. I have been reminded so many times that God knows the desires of my heart or that God is in control so I don’t need to be. Reaching out to someone else who is a part of the kingdom of God can be a great way to seek that extra support.

I hope that these verses and little bit of insight encourage you in your hardships. You are never alone and you are never without a plan. Believe me, there have been times in my own life that I have felt blown every which way, anxious, scared, and unsure. I experience these things still, but when I look back on old problems or situations, it is so easy to see God’s hand in my life. He has carried me through so many things and He is going to do the same for you. All we have to do is trust that He knows better than we do and lean on Him.