“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.”  —Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

“What’s the plan for tomorrow, Mommy?” asks my five-year-old daughter, Abby, almost every night, as I’m leaving her room after tucking her into bed. I know she’s trying to delay my departure, but she also loves knowing what to expect the next day. I smile because I’m the same way. I like to know the plan. For me, part of the fun of any activity is in the planning and anticipation of what’s ahead.

I was reading Isaiah 53 recently, and my eyes lit up when I came across the line that says, “it was the LORD’s good plan.” (God is a planner, too!)

As I read and reread the chapter, I thought more about the Israelites listening to Isaiah’s words. I realized they must have been so puzzled by the “good” plans that they heard him describe in this prophecy:

“No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut in midstream. … But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands”  (Isaiah 53:8b, 10 NLT).

How could it be good to crush someone and cause them grief? How could someone die without descendants, yet go on to live and have many descendants? Was this really a good plan?

Of course, it all makes sense to us now. We understand that the man Isaiah was talking about is Jesus, and that it was God’s plan for Him to come into the world to die. His death meant life for all of us who would believe in Him and make Him Lord of our lives. Christ may not have had earthly descendants, but through our faith in Him, we become children of God. (Thank you, Jesus!) This was the Lord’s good plan. But for the Israelites hearing it in Isaiah’s day, it was hard for them to see how all the pieces would fit together.

I’m sure that Moses also wondered how the pieces would fit together when he was told to return to Egypt and lead God’s people out of slavery. I bet Gideon really scratched his head when God whittled his army down to a mere three hundred men, yet promised him victory against tens of thousands of Midianite warriors. I can only imagine Mary’s thoughts when she realized she would make an arduous journey at the end of her pregnancy and then give birth to the Messiah in a dirty stable. How could these be God’s good plans?

Time and time again, we see in Scripture how God loves to flip the script. He allows His people to be in difficult, even impossible, situations, and then uses them to work out incredible, jaw-dropping, good plans. For our good, and for His glory.

If you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time, I’m sure you can think of a personal story (or two) of God transforming a very hard situation into something good, even amazing! in your life. Can you think of one?

I can! Many years ago, I lost my job. Numbers were down at the school where I worked, and my position was cut. It was a really big deal to me because I was a single mom at the time. To put it mildly, I felt forgotten and filled with fear. How could the Lord be working for my good? It didn’t make sense to me. Oh, I wish I had been stronger in my faith!

God worked out so much good from that season in my life. He plucked me from that high-stress job, met my needs with a much less demanding one at another school, and, miracle of all, led me to a relationship with my future husband. It still amazes me: losing my job set His good plans in motion.

Is there a puzzling situation in your life right now? One that you can’t seem to make sense of? How could God allow it? How could this be part of His good plan?

“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 NIV).

Just because God doesn’t usually reveal His plans to us doesn’t mean His plans aren’t good. In fact, His plans are far better than ours. Let’s be filled with the same faith as Moses, Gideon, and Mary. If you’re a follower of Christ, God is working on your behalf. Even when it doesn’t look like it, the end result will be good. He promises it! (Read Romans 8:28.)

Do you have a testimony of God’s unexpected-but-good plans in your life? Share it with someone this week, and your faith in Him will grow!

Father, even when I can’t see it, help me trust that Your plans are good in every area of my life. Fill me with faith and remind me of Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

With love,
Brittany Anderson

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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