We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.    Romans 8:28 HCSB

Jesus taught His disciples to pray using a model prayer found in Matthew 6:9-15. In verse 10, Jesus instructs them to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our prayers should line up with God’s will. We should want God’s will to be done above our own.

What about when God’s will doesn’t match our will? What about when we fear God will see things differently? Well, me must look to Isaiah 55:9 which says, “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” His plans are always better than our plans.

Trust in Him. God’s got this, whatever “this” may be. Once we understand that God works all things for good for those of us who love Him and are doing what He has called us to do, then even in the bad times we can trust in Him.

When we go through hard times, it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love us or doesn’t care for us. It simply means He is working things out for us. Sometimes He has to demolish what we have in order to give us something better. It’s hard to see this in the moment.

In Jeremiah 29:11, God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to the Israelites. He told them, “For I know the plans I have for you”-this is the Lord’s declaration-“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. We need to understand, however, that he prefaces this by telling them they will spend 70 years in captivity.

The Israelites had turned to idolatry and had been warned to repent, but failed to do so. This is why God was allowing them to be taken captive. For those who remained faithful and trusted in Him during this time, He took good care of them. We must remain faithful in times of trouble.

We must remember God has a plan. Maybe His plan is to help us to mature and grow as we go through trials and tribulations. Maybe His plan is to teach us how to do things differently. Whatever it may be, He has a plan. When things don’t go our way it’s a wonderful opportunity to learn God’s way.

I encourage you to let Romans 8:28 be your mantra as you endure hard times. Trust in God. Our job is to keep loving Him and doing what He has called us to do. His job is to work all things out for our good.

I’ve often heard it said you are either just coming through a trial, in the midst of a trial or about to face a trial. The life of a Christian is peaks and valleys. But in Christ, we can remain constant. We can rise above our circumstances as long as we do things His way.

We must also remember His timing is perfect. Isaiah 40:31 tells us those of us who wait on the Lord will renew our strength, mount up on wings, like eagles; run and not be weary, walk and not faint. We are told in Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the LORD, be strong, and let your heart take courage, wait for the LORD.”

We must not grow tired of doing what is right. Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not give up.”

God’s plans always come together in His timing. If your plan is not coming together, you may want to stop and ask yourself, “Does my plan line up with God’s plan?” Maybe it does, but now is not His timing. I have had plans come together in my life years after I made the preparations for them.

If your plans seem to be falling apart perhaps it’s just God making them fall into place. Trust in Him and His timing. I always say, “You gotta love it when a plan comes together.” We’ve got to really love it when His plans come together for us.

Have a great day!