Do you ever have days that just don’t go the way you had planned? That was my day yesterday. I came into the office excited to see that the boxes containing our freshly-printed Bible study books had arrived just in time for our Women’s Ministry kick-off Sunday morning. But to my horror, when I opened one of the boxes to take a look, the Bible study wasn’t at all what I had expected. The books were twice the size they should have been (they printed them one-sided instead of two-sided), and they left off the color cover that was to go under the plastic cover on front. My response: “They look horrible!”
I went through a myriad of emotions: frustration, irritation, a little bit of anger, and major panic. “We need these books by 9:00 am Sunday morning! What am I going to do?”
After my initial shock and disappointment, I went into my office, closed the door, and had a heart-to-heart talk with the Lord. My first question was, “Why?” But, as I prayed through the situation, God reminded me that He is sovereign when things are going according to my plans, and He is sovereign when things are not going according to my plans. I needed that reminder.
God is sovereign in the good times and the bad. He knew what was going on and what I was going to walk into when I came to work on Wednesday. I was surprised, but God wasn’t.
Why does God allow stressful situations in our lives? Why does He allow things to happen that just seem to make life so much more complicated? I don’t know. But I know my God. I know He is working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). This situation tested me to see if I really believe what I say when I quote that verse.
God worked everything out for good. The company that printed the books came to the rescue, reprinting the books and shipping a new batch to arrive Saturday afternoon, just in time for Sunday morning. Talk about cutting it close!
It’s not the way I would have planned for this week to go, but God has a bigger plan – one that is for His glory and my good.
How do you respond when your day/week/month/year doesn’t go as you had planned? Will you stress out and become angry, or will you trust Him?