When the Answer Is “Wait,” “No,” or “Not Yet”

When the Answer Is “Wait,” “No,” or “Not Yet”

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”  Proverbs 16:9

How do you handle life when it throws you a curveball? Do you complain, or do you rejoice? Do you look for things to make you happy, or do you look for the joy God can provide in the circumstances?

Life has a way of taking an ordinary day and turning it upside down. Sometimes the answer to our prayers is “yes.” But sometimes it is “wait,” “no,” or “not yet.” Those answers can be difficult when we have already made our plans and believe we know how things should unfold.

The apostle Paul wanted to go to Rome. In Romans 1:10, he tells the believers there that he had been praying for an opportunity to visit them. God answered that prayer—but not in the way Paul probably expected.

In Acts 21–28, we see Paul’s journey to Rome unfold. He eventually arrived there, but his route included arrest, imprisonment, trials, and being placed under guard. Prison certainly wasn't the route Paul would have chosen, but it was the route God used.

What is remarkable is how Paul responded to his circumstances. Rather than constantly complaining about his situation, Paul continued to serve. He prayed for those around him and shared the gospel. Even the guards who were chained to him had opportunities to hear about Christ.

Paul gives us a wonderful example of how to respond when life goes sideways. He prayed, and God answered. The answer simply looked different than Paul expected.

When you are a child of God, you can have confidence that even when your plans don't work out the way you hoped, God is still at work. His plans are not disrupted by our unexpected circumstances. Sometimes He uses the very situation we would have avoided to accomplish something greater than we could see at the time.

The challenge is to keep our eyes open.

Instead of asking only, “Why is this happening to me?” Perhaps we can also ask, “Lord, what are You doing through this?”

The unexpected may become an opportunity to trust God more deeply, encourage someone who needs hope, or share the gospel with someone we would never have encountered otherwise.

We may not understand the new route, but we can trust the One who establishes our steps.

When the answer is “wait,” “no,” or “not yet,” remember: God has not lost control of the plan. He may simply be taking you somewhere you never expected to go.

The MissioCare Collective Team