We all experience those times when life doesn’t go the way we planned. This happened to my friend, Becky Beresford, as she shared on a recent episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective podcast when we discussed her sacred scar story (Listen here: How to Heal and Trust God When Life Doesn’t Go as We Hoped). Becky learned some very valuable lessons during that experience and I’ve asked her to share with you things you can do when God’s plans are not your plans.

7 Things to Do When God’s Plans Are Not Your Plans
By Becky Beresford

This past year holds the record for plans not going the way I expected them to. Everything from marriage to moving to launching a book to starting homeschooling – the plans I imagined would come to pass transformed into something different, new, and often hard.

If we are honest with ourselves, many of us prefer the safer, more familiar path. When given the choice between rocky terrain or a smoother trail, we’d take the easier route every time.

But if we look at people’s stories in the Bible, God commonly did not give precise details when He called them. Instead, He guided His followers in a general direction. Abraham left on a God-ordained journey, not knowing where the Promised Land was. Moses went to Pharoah, not knowing how God would deliver His people. Esther became queen of Persia, not knowing she would risk her life to save the Jewish nation. The disciples followed Christ, not knowing it would take them to the cross. While the “not knowing” can be uncomfortable, it can also be seen as a special grace. Many times, if we knew what God would ask of us, would we hesitate in saying YES to following Him in the first place? Being a true disciple is a big decision that is accompanied by countless faithful (even-if-we-don’t-understand-everything) steps toward the Father.

Understanding the Unchanging Faithfulness of God When Our Plans Seem Altered

In our western world we have the gift of freedom that affords us the option to “come and see” Jesus without the extreme sacrifices experienced around the globe. Persecution becomes an expected part of a believer’s plans in foreign countries that are hostile to the gospel. Yet, regardless of our residence, the cost of following Jesus involves the same decision: we choose to lay down our lives and surrender our days to the Savior.

And who is our God? Even more, how does He take care of us as we surrender to Him?

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)

Whenever our plans seem interrupted or altered, remembering the character and steadfast love of God will help us release our expectations in exchange for His unending mercies. From our perspective, our earthly reality may not look like we had hoped, but from eternity’s point of view, things never slipped through the Lord’s faithful hands.

God cannot be surprised because His sovereignty cannot be surpassed by our current circumstances or choices (including the choices of others). If we believe He is the God who heals, delivers, restores and redeems, then nothing can stop Him from bringing His plans to pass.

God will heal us.
He will deliver us and shelter us.
He will restore what was lost.
He will redeem what went wrong and make all things right.

Humanity cannot stop the Lord’s will from happening. Only God can make His plans come into fruition.

In the book of Isaiah we read,
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55: 8-9 NLT)

There is a sense of freedom and relief when we allow Jesus to be the savior of our stories and we stop striving to understand all the workings of God. When we believe Christ’s grace and power are truly sufficient to make a way through the harshest storm, we can allow any self-imposed pressure to wash away in the wake of His wisdom and love.

7 Things to Do When Your Plans Don’t Match Up with God’s Plans

If you are like me and have struggled with knowing what to do when your plans do not match up with God’s plans, here is a short list of seven things that can help your heart in unexpected times:

1. Have an honest conversation with God and lay ALL your concerns at His feet. We serve a God who is not afraid of our questions and cares. When we look at the book of Psalms, we see David’s authentic pleas in the midst of his problems and pain. Go to Jesus. Let Him know everything you are thinking and feeling. Place every concern you may have at His nail-scarred feet and remember, He understands the stings of life. God will meet you there and comfort your broken heart.
2. Practice the art of SURRENDER, with big and small things. It doesn’t matter the size of the request or concern, Jesus wants us to hand everything over to Him. Yes, this helps build up our faith muscles, but there’s more. Only when we RELEASE can we be in a place to fully RECEIVE from God. If our hands are not open because we are holding tightly to our own plans, we can’t receive what God has in store for us and we cannot experience the freedom of God-dependence versus self-dependence. Release leads to rest. Striving leads to weariness.
3. Remember God’s track record of faithfulness. Make a list of all the ways God has been faithful to you this month. The Holy Spirit will bring to mind the ways God has come through for YOU, as well as those you love. Sometimes our worries can cause us to forget how reliable and capable God truly is. When we make it a regular practice to recount the Lord’s faithfulness, it helps us remember the character of our good God which doesn’t change, even when outcomes do.
4. Ask God for the joy that comes with triumphs AND trials. This is one I’ve had to apply to my life often this year. Yet, the fruit of the Spirit is JOY and the Spirit lives within us. We have access to never-ending joy, even when we are facing troubles. We need to ask God to empower us in order to purposefully choose gratitude over grievance. We can be honest with the Lord about what’s troubling us, but we can’t let those troubles define us. We are children of the Most High and we receive all we need in the presence and person of Christ. Therefore, joy can come from mourning. The joy of the Lord is our strength. We can consider trials a joy because it brings us closer to Jesus. Joy is powerful because praise changes perspective.
5. Claim God’s promises over your life. Speak specific promises from Scripture out loud over your situation, declaring God’s truth above any lies of the enemy. Nothing stops Satan in his tracks like the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God! It’s the exact tactic Jesus used against Satan in the wilderness.
6. Allow God to heal what needs to be healed. If you are having a hard time surrendering control over to God (again, many times ME!), ask Him WHY. Often deep healing is needed below the surface. Whether it’s our past, the enemy’s lies, mindset changes, etc., our Father wants to hold us close as He binds up the hurting places of our hearts with His truth and love. God doesn’t just want to put a Band-Aid on our wounds, He wants to get to the root!
7. Ask for prayer from believers who are trustworthy and compassionate. Incredible growth and support can be found in community, but we need to be brave enough to be vulnerable and share what’s really going on. Ask the Lord to provide close friends who will stand by you, fight for you, and pray for you as you live an authentic, Christ-centered life. The Body of Christ is supposed to be a safe place to share your struggles so we can build one another up in love. Reach out to someone God has placed in your life.

As we let go of our plans, God will show us how every one of His plans boils down to the same purpose: to know God more and make Him known.

What have you found effective to do when God’s plans are not your plans? We’d love to hear in the comments below.

About Becky Beresford

BECKY BERESFORD lives in North Carolina and is happily outnumbered by her husband and three wonderful boys. She is an author, speaker and coach with a Master’s Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship from Moody Theological Seminary. Becky loves encouraging God’s Daughters to embrace Christ-centered empowerment through the truth found in the gospel, and her first book with Moody Publishers, She Believed HE Could, So She Did, released in March, 2024.

Connect with Becky: Website / Empowered Email Tribe / Instagram / Facebook