When God Changes Your Plans

Over the last few months my family has been understanding more and more the reality of Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” Our family lives and serves in the country of South Africa, and we learned recently that we needed to fly back to the US on a last minute trip to deal with our 5-year old daughter’s visa (she always seems to be the one that causes the drama)!

As you can imagine, this was not in our plans. After a busy year of ministry and being in the midst of a life transition from one city to another, we did not have this last minute trip in mind. And yet, this trip was exactly what God intended for our family at this moment in time. But this situation in my own life has caused me to reflect on what it means to lead my family through life’s shifting sands of circumstances.

How do we as fathers deal with the sudden changing of plans in our lives? For some of us these changes may be simple. It may be that we need to learn to embrace the various changes to our “routine” throughout the day. Others may be called to more serious challenges: such as a terminal disease in our life or a family member, or an injury leading to a physical handicap. The question we, as fathers, need to think on is, “What will we do when God redirects our plans?” How will we respond to these changes in our lives? And, how can we lead our families through, or, in the midst of these changes?

Here are four truths that have been a comfort to my own heart during my recent change of plans. My prayer is that these four truths may guide you when God changes your plans.

God’s Timing is ALWAYS Accurate

This truth will really test our faith, but a faith that is not tested is not steadfast (Jam. 1:3). God’s timing is always right. He has never missed a timetable. Although we interpret His timing as being out-of-step or not consistent with what we intended, His timing is always accurate, but do we really believe this?

We must choose to believe the truth that our Sovereign God always does what is right, and He does so at exactly the right time. But in addition to believing this truth, we must seek to teach our family this truth as well. We must remind them that God’s timing is accurate…ALWAYS!

God’s Character is ALWAYS Good

Psalm 100:5 tell us, “For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” The Lord is GOOD! Again, do we really believe this? Do we really believe that God is good when He changes our schedule? Do we really believe that God is good when our dad is diagnosed with cancer? Do we really believe that God is good when our home is broken into?

Whatever changing circumstance comes into our lives or the life of our family, it will test the reality of our faith in God’s character. Do we believe that God, who providentially directed this change of plans, is good?

The reality is that God’s character is not based on how we feel. God’s character is based on who He is. And He IS always good! If we are going to remain faithful amidst the turbulence of changed plans and lead our families to do the same, we must believe that God is good…ALWAYS!

God’s Plan is ALWAYS Perfect

If God is good, then everything that He does is good. He can do no wrong. He is perfect and so is His plan for our lives. Now, perfect is often interpreted by us as “what we want.” God’s plan may not be what we want or what we expected, but it is always perfect. It is always just the right thing to accomplish His work in our lives. We must believe Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

So, if you find yourself suddenly facing a life crisis, you can rest in God’s perfect plan. If you find yourself in the midst of a hard parenting season, you can rest in God’s perfect plan. There is no sudden situation that will come up in our lives that is outside the perfect purpose and plan of God Almighty. We may not understand it, but we can trust God’s perfect plan…ALWAYS!

God’s Love is ALWAYS Sure

Lastly, we must remember that God’s love is always sure. This means that God’s love is always guaranteed. What an incredible comfort to our own hearts to know that our all-sufficient and all-satisfying God loves us unconditionally. He has guaranteed His love towards us “in that while we were still sinners, He died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)

Brothers, this Gospel-secured love gives us hope and confidence when the hard changes of life come. In the valleys of uncertainty, our God’s love is steadfast. It is as sure as the Gospel. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?…I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:35-39)…ALWAYS!

Teaching Our Families to Know God

At the end of the day, what gives us as believers the strength to remain faithful amidst the changes of life, is a deep and abiding knowledge of who God is. A knowledge of God that does not crumble when life tests it, whether this test be small or great.

Fathers, take it upon yourself to lead your family in the knowledge of God. Make it a point to teach your children the character of God. This may come in the form of a simple conversation outside while playing catch, or it may come in the form of a family devotional study at night on the attributes of God. Find ways to teach and disciple your family to know God and His ways. This will, in time, develop minds and hearts to be anchored to the character of God so that when God changes their plans their hearts continue to rest in Him.

So, as my family is currently reminding our own hearts of God’s timing, character, plan, and love, amidst this season of changes, my prayer is that many of you would find God to be everything you need to guide and direct your hearts through whatever changes may be coming into your life. And remember, nothing, not even sudden changes, can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!