Bad Break, Coincidence, or Planned?
We all have things happen to us that we don't understand. Things take much longer than we think they should. Doors close. We work hard but don't get the promotion. The loan doesn't go through. A coworker lies about us, and it sets us back. It's easy to get frustrated and fight against what we don't like. "God, why is this happening? When are You going to change it?" We think it's holding us back, but the psalmist says that "everything serves God's plan" (Psalm 119:91). He didn't say just the good things--the times you're promoted, getting good breaks, and things changing in your favor.
What we don't always realize is the delays, the friend's betrayal, and the person who walked away are serving His plan. You're being developed, getting stronger through it. Without it, you wouldn't be prepared for what's coming. When you understand that everything serves His plan, you won't live frustrated by things that aren't fair and stressed over things you don't like. You realize the closed door wasn't a bad break; it was God shutting the door. The person who walked away wasn't a coincidence; God moved them out so you could move forward. It was serving His plan.
Perhaps you've prayed for six years that God would move away a coworker who gets on your nerves. Do you know why they're not moving? They're serving you. God is using them to rub off your rough edges. You're learning to be patient, to be kind, to overlook offenses. The Scripture says, "The steps of a good person are ordered by the Lord" (Psalm 37:23). If you weren't supposed to be there, you wouldn't be there. God allowed it because it's necessary to move you into your purpose. You need that person or that closed door to reach your destiny. It's positioning you for something bigger.
God doesn't always take us in a straight line from A to B to C. Sometimes He'll take you from A to B, then to R, then back to D, then to S. It's not going to make sense. Sometimes it's going to look as though you're going backward. You have to trust Him when you don't understand. You have to know that everything is serving His plan. That's why the apostle Paul says, "All things work together for good for those who love the Lord" (Romans 8:28). All things may not be good, such as a sickness or a loss, but they're going to work out for your good. While God is working it out, while it's not good, the test is whether you will stay in faith. Will you believe that God is still in control, that what He started He will finish?
What we don't always realize is the delays, the friend's betrayal, and the person who walked away are serving His plan. You're being developed, getting stronger through it. Without it, you wouldn't be prepared for what's coming. When you understand that everything serves His plan, you won't live frustrated by things that aren't fair and stressed over things you don't like. You realize the closed door wasn't a bad break; it was God shutting the door. The person who walked away wasn't a coincidence; God moved them out so you could move forward. It was serving His plan.
Perhaps you've prayed for six years that God would move away a coworker who gets on your nerves. Do you know why they're not moving? They're serving you. God is using them to rub off your rough edges. You're learning to be patient, to be kind, to overlook offenses. The Scripture says, "The steps of a good person are ordered by the Lord" (Psalm 37:23). If you weren't supposed to be there, you wouldn't be there. God allowed it because it's necessary to move you into your purpose. You need that person or that closed door to reach your destiny. It's positioning you for something bigger.
God doesn't always take us in a straight line from A to B to C. Sometimes He'll take you from A to B, then to R, then back to D, then to S. It's not going to make sense. Sometimes it's going to look as though you're going backward. You have to trust Him when you don't understand. You have to know that everything is serving His plan. That's why the apostle Paul says, "All things work together for good for those who love the Lord" (Romans 8:28). All things may not be good, such as a sickness or a loss, but they're going to work out for your good. While God is working it out, while it's not good, the test is whether you will stay in faith. Will you believe that God is still in control, that what He started He will finish?