It's Going To Be Good
"You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail."
Proverbs 21:19 (NLT)
I cannot believe it’s 2024. The start of a new year is always exciting and filled with so many new goals and dreams. Have you started your New Year’s resolutions? Have you written down your goals? Or what about a vision board? Let’s be honest, many of these goals fall through within weeks or even days of us attempting them!
Now before you start coming for me, I want to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with having goals, making plans, vision boards, and planning trips ahead of time. Preparation and planning are necessary for success and growth. However, the Lord has been pressing heavily on my heart during this time, in the midst of my dreams and desires, to trust that His plans are better than mine and to trust His timing. The beginning of the year is one of the most pivotal times to reflect, evaluate, and to plan for the future. It's also one of the most pressure-filled times to fall into the trap of feeling like you have to have your whole life planned out, and be on every trend that's happening and if you aren't then you're behind.
Just this week I had faith that the Lord was going to open up a particular door before the end of the year was over. This is something I’ve been praying for, believing a breakthrough to happen, and I do believe that this is something the Lord desires for me. But as 12 am struck the clock and the cheering of people yelling “Happy New Year” around me and the celebration came to an end, I realized that the Lord did not answer that prayer.
After crying about it and processing it with Him, the Lord helped anchor me in hope through a conversation with a sweet friend the next day. Ironically, the conversation was on a different topic that had nothing to do with what I was crying about. However, the Lord used my friend's testimony to give me fresh perspective and strength to believe that God is faithful and His promises are always on time.
God is faithful and His promises are always on time.
Waiting in general is hard let alone waiting for something you want is even more difficult. Are you currently waiting for something that you have prayed for? Maybe you’ve been praying for God to move in a certain area for years, months, days, or even hours. No matter how long the wait is- we will need the help of the Holy Spirit to endure. Naturally, as humans, being patient and having self-control is not in our nature. We want what we want when we want it. And if we don’t get it we get upset, we grow bitter, throw in the towel, and many times we get angry at God and question His goodness and character. There were countless people in the Bible who had to wait for promises from God - many of them waited years to see the promise. And I mean yearssssss! Just look at the life of David, Joseph, Moses, the Israelites, Hannah, Noah and even Jesus. What I notice about the waiting period is it is a time to grow closer to the Lord while deepening your trust in Him and to purify your motives, intentions, and desires of your heart while increasing your faith.
Based on our focal scripture, what is Proverbs 19:21 saying?
We will make many plans, set goals, and pray for things to happen when we want them to, but what the Lord has planned for our lives and when He has planned it will succeed or triumph over ours.
What God desires to happen in our lives will happen at the exact moment with the right people at the right place.
Why is this good news?
At first, this didn't sound hopeful or exciting because I want things to happen when I want, how I want, and with whom I want. This scripture promises disappointment. It promises that things will not always go the way we planned them. However, this scripture also promises a better way. Even though our plans may fail, God's plans are so much better and higher than ours could ever be. Isaiah 55 verses 9 through 13 talks about how God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours. It also talks about whatever God speaks it will come to pass and do what He desires.
You might ask, if the Lord’s plans will triumph over ours what assurance do we have to know that those plans are even good or if we'll even like them? Jeremiah 29:11 says, " For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." The Lord in His kindness promises us that the plans He has for us are good.
I don't want to talk about this topic without exposing two lies many times we agree with during the waiting period of believing God for things:
We believe that our plans, our process and our timing are better than God’s.
We believe that an absence of a prayer answered equals He isn't good, He doesn't care and He will never do it.
How silly is it to think that we know better than God? You might not say it out loud but your actions show that you think you know better. Don't surrender to the trap of pride. That's what Abraham's wife, Sarah, did in the waiting period. She came up with her own plan because she was tired of waiting and questioned God's word. When we believe that we know better than God we try to fill in the space with our ideas and plans. And how did they work out for Sarah and Abraham? It caused them to have a son which resulted in pain and relationship conflict that could've been avoided. However, our Lord is so generous and kind that even in the midst of their mistake He still brought forth the son He promised them. Go read chapter 12-23 in Genesis
Your mistakes can't stop God's plans from prevailing, but they can delay them.
We serve an all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect, and personal God. He cares about every detail of our lives. He cares about our futures more than we do. Do not allow what you see to make you forget who God is. He is the same when your prayers are answered and He is the same when it seems like none of your prayers are being answered.
The character and power of God is not dictated by whether or not He answers your prayers.
Sister, I don't know what you're believing God for. I don't know what you have cried about and worked hard for. You might have been waiting for a long time or you might not. I can't promise you that everything you pray for and dream of will happen this year. Only God knows what's ahead. But what I do know is if you are a daughter of The Most High King and you make it your number one priority to stay close to Him through every high and low, He will make sure your path is straight (psalms 37:23). Surrender your plans, dreams and desires to Him because they can be trusted in His hands. You don't need to worry or stress out about the outcome because that's His job.
So as you start this new year in 2024 have full confidence in the Lord that His plans for you are good even when they are different than you thought they would be. It’s going to be a good year sister. Not because we will get everything we want but because God's plans will unfold beautifully in our lives. Trust His timing. He is always on time even when it feels like He’s late or He’s forgotten about you! There's purpose in the waiting. There's revelation in the waiting. There's growth in the waiting. There's fresh bread in the waiting. There's hope in the waiting.
Let go of your expectations of what this year should look like while holding onto anticipation of what the Lord will do this year.
Psalm 18:30 in the Passion Translation says, “Yahweh, what a perfect God you are! All Yahweh’s promises have proven true. What a secure shelter for all those who turn to hide themselves in you, the wraparound God” Cling to the hope that the Lord is perfect in all His ways, and because of this so is your future. Just wait and see when you experience the good plans the Lord has planned for you all along your heart will rejoice because you will realize that His plans were better than yours. He is able to exceed our expectations and will accomplish more than we could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
Praise the Lord for what He has done.
Thank the Lord for what He is doing.
Open your hands to what He will do.
Trust His Timing.
Wait with Him.
Wait on Him.
Expect more than you asked for.
The blessing will not pass you by.
It's going to be good.
Prayer Points For You:
New strength to wait on the Lord and trust in His ways
A fresh perspective to see His hand even in the midst of delay, disappointment & discouragement
Faith to believe that He can and will do it and do more than we can ask, think or imagine
