Dear Bridgette,
Is life easier if you follow God’s plan for your life?
Yes! I mean, sort of. I hate to sound indecisive, but perhaps the answer is yes AND no. God’s plan for your life may not be easier, but I promise you (and He promises you too!) that His plan is better than yours, and greater than what you can conceive. He is working on your behalf right now, and there is peace in following His will for your life.
If you’re anything like me, some of your prayer time consists of giving little “suggestions” to God about all kinds of things. I especially like to include details on what I’d like to see happen next, or soon, in my life or the lives of my loved ones. Oh, if only God could see it things my way, then He for sure would schedule events differently! There would be less waiting, am I right? (Ok, ok patience is a virtue…but still!)
Jesus made a special promise us in John 14:13…
“And whatever you ask in my name I shall do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
SO what does it mean to ask in Jesus’ name? It means asking in a spirit of true faith in Jesus. We are seeking to align our wishes with God’s own will and very nature. If we are sincerely following God and seeking to do His will, our requests will therefore be in line with what He wants for us.
How do you know His will and nature? Lucky for us that we have an amazing resource on that at our fingertips: His Living Word, the bible. Prayer also leads us to God’s will. We can pray “Lord help me to do your will today. Holy Spirit, grant me your guidance. Jesus, show me the next right thing I need to do today.” I find that if I feel at peace with a decision, then I’m in line with His will for me. Simply asking yourself: “will this choice lead me closer to God, or farther?” can be a good starting point.
Let me say a final bit about peace…which I think is the “easy” part of following God’s plan.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27
The worldly peace that Jesus mentions is a band-aid peace. Up pops another difficulty, and the peace is gone. I can pray super hard and do all the asking in the world, and never find an ounce of peace. The turning point is learning to let go and rely on God, not on myself. Trust that you can lift up your troubles to Him and He will deliver you out of them. Thank Him now for the answer to your prayers that He is going to give you and the plans He is working out for you today.
“For I know well the plans I have for you–says the Lord–plans for your welfare and not for woe, as to give you a future of hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
Perfect. As usual. It's both good and hard news to hear bc our nature is to do do do and not pray and wait. Sometimes that's the hardest part.