5 Ways to Build Trust in God’s Plan for Your Future
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Have you ever been in a situation where you know that things will never be the same again, and yet all you want is for life to go back to normal?
There are times when God will allow situations that drastically alter our future, and our response will determine the path we take.
While we can’t know ahead of time exactly how we will respond, we can lay the groundwork ahead of time that will prepare us to walk in faith.
5 Ways to Build Trust in God’s Plan for Your Future
When I read the story of Joseph, I am astounded at the strength of his faith and trust in God.
I am sure on that morning he went looking for his brothers, he never imagined his life would take a massive turn, never to be the same again.
I wonder if while he was traveling with those Ishmaelites if he wished and prayed that life would go back to normal.
It never did.
- He was sold into slavery
- He was falsely accused
- He was cast into prison
- He was left there, forgotten
How on earth did things go so terribly wrong?
And yet, through all of this, Joseph maintained a heart of integrity and determination to walk in complete trust in God.
God rewarded his faithfulness by elevating him to a leader in the prison, and then to the 2nd in command in all of Egypt.
I am pretty sure he didn’t see that coming!
Sometimes God’s plan for our future looks entirely different than we envisioned
God had a plan all along, and actually, the story of Joseph is just a setup for an even bigger plan!
The first step in God’s grand plan was that Joseph had to end up in Egypt.
God wanted him there to help prepare Egypt for the seven years of famine that were about to come.
The second step in God’s grand plan was that during those seven years of famine, Israel’s sons would end up in Egypt.
Eventually, their descendants would become slaves.
This was setting the stage for a grand portrayal of God’s greatest story that would eventually take place a few thousand years later.
Had Joseph not ended up in Egypt, there would have been no plan to store up grain for the famine.
Had there been no reason to go to Egypt to buy grain, Israel’s sons would have not moved to Egypt.
Had Israel’s sons not moved to Egypt, the Israelites wouldn’t have become slaves.
Had the Israelites not been slaves in Egypt, Moses wouldn’t have had to intervene to save his people.
And we wouldn’t have this story that was God’s foretelling of the story of Jesus and salvation.
How do we, like Joseph, maintain a heart of trust in the hard times?
1. Build trust in small things
Trust in God is a muscle that needs to be exercised.
We have to teach ourselves to look at small upsets in life through God’s eyes; realizing that nothing in our life escapes His plan and watchful eye.
God is never out of control.
Anything that happens in our life is part of His grander plan, and we can trust Him with the outcome.
Not only do we need faith to believe that He will turn things for our good, we need to trust Him with the controls over our life.
- Taking our hands off the steering wheel
- Purposing to not give into the temptation to manipulate him through our prayers and begging prayers
- Choosing to calm our hearts and emotions when life doesn’t go the way we’ve planned
2. Purpose to stop complaining
The story of Joseph and the story of the Israelites exodus from Egypt are drastically different.
We do not read of one time when Joseph complained, while we read about how the Israelites never stopped complaining.
Paul instructed us to do all things without complaining in Philippians 2:14.
Instead, “…in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
While we may not give thanks for every situation, we can always give thanks in every situation, because God’s children always have reason to give thanks!
3. Pray what, not why
God doesn’t owe us an explanation for why He chooses to allow situations in our life.
Sometimes, the “why” comes later on, but other times we will never know why God allowed things to happen to us.
Knowing why God allows things to happen to us isn’t nearly as important as knowing what God wants to do in our lives through that situation.
An important prayer to pray is, “God, what are you wanting to teach me through this?”
4. Stay faithful, even when it doesn’t make sense
I am sure that to some people, it didn’t make sense for Joseph to stay faithful while he was in prison on false allegations.
If there was a time when a bad attitude might be justified, it would have been then!
And yet, he didn’t give in.
He maintained a right attitude and stayed faithful wherever God led him, even when that path detoured to the absolute worst place imaginable!
Our faithfulness to God, even when life doesn’t make sense, is vitally important.
God was able to continue using Joseph to accomplish His purpose because Joseph refused to succumb to negativity, bitterness, and disillusionment.
Had he done so, God wouldn’t have been able to use him in such a powerful way.
5. Never stop investing in your relationship with God
When life gets hard and takes an unexpected turn, many people stop investing in their relationship with God.
They stop reading their Bible.
They stop praying.
They don’t go to church as regularly, or stop going.
They get angry at God and, in a way, look to punish God for allowing difficult circumstances in their life.
It is in these times when we need to do just the opposite.
We need to invest more, not less.
We need to spend more time with Him in prayer, studying the Word, memorizing key portions of Scripture that will encourage and strengthen us, and allow God to build that strong foundation of trust in His mighty hand.
There isn’t a person on planet Earth whose life hasn’t taken a wild and irreversible turn.
For some, that turn is more drastic than others.
And yet, if we can begin building a strong foundation of trust in God’s greater plan, even when we don’t know what that plan is, we will be ready and able to be used for His grand purposes and be a shining testimony to the world around us!
