Intermission (It's Not Over)

Everyone has had that feeling at some point in their life. You know, where everything is going smooth, life seems to be "falling in place," and you can't stop smiling. You planned everything out, and you ran it all through God. You prayed; you had peace; you moved forward; and then, you got knocked off your feet. It felt as if all-of-a-sudden, your plans crumbled before your eyes.

You're left with questions. "What happened? Where did that come from? Why? I sought after God before pursuing this. Why did this happen this way? Why didn't it turn out the way I imagined?" And while I can't answer all those exact questions for you, let me reassure you with this: If you sought God in your plans and followed His direction, YOU. DID. NOTHING. WRONG.

Things didn't turn out the way you thought they would. It's not what you planned. It's not where you thought things were headed. You had prayed. You had stood on Scripture.

Life has a way of pushing itself through and totally disrupting what we had planned. We live in a fallen world. We also have an enemy of our spirit, the devil. He is real. And...he does hate us. Things happen, but God always protects His children. Maybe life got messy for you. Perhaps the enemy sent something your way or manipulated situations in a different direction to cause you harm.

But remember - God is NEVER caught off guard. He is never surprised by anything. God will always turn everything around for our good that the enemy sent our way to destroy us (See Romans 8:38) for those who love God. One way we show our love for God is when we are willing and obedient to trust in Him. Rest assured that when God steps into the situation, we come out stronger. We come out wiser. We come out full of peace and joy. We come out in a better position than we went in. We end in a better situation than what we originally planned. Why? Simply because God is a GOOD God and He wants the best for His children.

God always wants what is best for us. He never wants us to settle for less than His best. He's a GOOD God. What's best for you and what's best for me are different things. He wants us to have the best spouses - but the best spouse for you is not the best spouse for me. The same is true for jobs. He wants us to have the best life. Again, that is different for each of us, but it has general similarities. He wants us to always be healed and have good health. He wants us to be financially prosperous so we are able to bless others and help spread His Word and His love for people. He wants us to have victory in every situation. He wants all these things for us so much, that He included these things with our salvation.

There's an old saying by Yogi Berra, "It ain't over till it's over."
There's also a song, "The Father's House," by Cory Asbury. Part of the lyrics say,
"Arrival's not the end game, the journey's where You are.
You never wanted perfect, You just wanted my heart.
And the story isn't over, if the story isn't good.
A failure's never final when the Father is in the room.
And failure's never final when the Father is in the room."
That's something we need to remember: the story isn't over, if the story isn't good. God's plans for us are ALWAYS good! (See Jeremiah 29:11)

So if life has taken a turn - if the enemy has thrown things at you that you don't feel you can handle - remember that life isn't over, it's only the intermission.
Remember...
1.) You are never alone. God has never left you and He won't start now. (See Deuteronomy 31:8)
2.) God is always on you side. (See Psalm 118:6-9)
3.) God has already given you the victory. (See 1 Corinthians 15:57)
4.) God's plans for you are ALWAYS good. (See Jeremiah 29:11)

God has plenty to say in His Word. So dig into His Word and walk in the peace He has given you, trusting that He will work it out better than you ever could for yourself.
If you need extra help, we have the "Scriptures - By Topic" section in our app. There, you can find Scriptures specific to various topics: faith, hope, joy, peace, and more.