“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.”

Jeremiah 29:11

Sometimes this verse can be hard to believe.

Today is one of those days.

My youngest son has worked for two years to improve his baseball skills. He’s so much better in every aspect than he used to be. Yet he still didn’t make the school team.

I think I may be just as disappointed as my son. I wanted this for him. I prayed every day that the coaches would notice his diligence and hard work. Perhaps they did. But it wasn’t enough.

At times like this, we could doubt God’s plan to prosper us.

I’ve questioned God’s plan several times in my life.

Circumstances don’t line up like we think. Our hard work doesn’t seem to pay off. Our marriage still fails. We lose our loved one. Or maybe we just lose our enthusiasm for this life.

Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that God’s ways are not like our ways.

For instance, if I had married my high school boyfriend like I thought, I would have missed so many blessings. I probably wouldn’t have gone away to college — which I count as four of the best years of my life. I wouldn’t have pushed myself to conquer fears and go for my dream job. And I wouldn’t be married to my husband now.

We can trust that God will use our mistakes, our failures and our disappointments for our good and His glory. Think about some examples. God used Moses to speak for Him when Moses was scared to speak. He took Saul from persecuting Christians and transformed him into Paul, a great apostle. He can do the same for you.

In what ways are you doubting God’s plan for you?  

Lord, help me to see the possibilities instead of just these closed doors and rejection. Help me to believe that you have a prosperous future for me. Give me hope. Thank You, Lord.

Stacy