The back of a tapestry can be jumbled up threads that don’t make sense at all, but if we turn it over, we find a beautiful picture. We can’t always make sense of God’s plan for us. We cannot always understand, but we just have to trust He has a beautiful picture in mind.
That’s so hard to do sometimes, isn’t it? To trust that God knows best? We may have big plans in our lives, but often God has another plan. Our plans are not always God’s plans. He has a plan for each of us before He even created us, and each of those plans fit into His grand design. He knows what He’s doing.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
If we look back on each of our lives, how many times did God have another plan than we did? Seasons of pain and suffering. Times of loss and heartache. Days of darkness where we wondered if God was really with us at all.
In the past I have wondered – If God loves us and all things are under His control, then why doesn’t He stop others from hurting us so deeply? How can all that pain be in God’s plan? But I realize now that God never wants to hurt us, but as humans we have a choice to choose, and some people choose evil towards us. Yes, God has the power to stop them, but sometimes He allows struggles in our lives so we will learn deep lessons and grow more into His likeness. We can’t always see it at the time, but in the end God always turns evil into good. He has plans to prosper us, not to harm us.
“For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the Lord, “plans to
prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Back in the Old Testament times, Joseph never planned to be sold as a slave by his own brothers or later to be cast into prison for years for something he did not do, but God had plans for him. Joseph clung to God and His promises and became a blessing to many wherever he was at, and in the end he even became a ruler who was the means to save people from starvation during the years of drought. That included his brothers. Joseph forgave them and told them how God had planned all this.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it
for good to accomplish what is now being done,
the saving of many lives.”
Genesis 50:20
In the New Testament, Mary was engaged to a different Joseph. Never did she expect God to conceive a seed in her that would be Jesus. She opened her heart and said “yes” to God’s plan even though she knew it would mean she would be slandered and scorned. And wow, look at what happened as a result! It was all a part of God’s plan to save us. Jesus who is God came down as a man so He could suffer in our place the punishment of our sins. God’s great plan of love, mercy, and grace to us.
However messed up or painful our lives are, God has a plan of love towards us. We will suffer troubles on this earth, and often we will not understand. But He is never going to leave us in them. He will help us through them. And when the pain is so deep, He can go to those deep places in our hearts and heal those broken, hurting places. The incomprehensible suffering He went through for us and His triumph over all evil will get us through whatever suffering we must go through in this life. And someday we will see the bigger picture and see how God’s plan is the most beautiful design we could ever imagine.
“No healthy Christian ever chooses suffering;
he chooses God’s will, as Jesus did,
whether it means suffering or not.”
~ Oswald Chambers“All God’s plans have the mark of the cross on them,
and all His plans have death to self in them.”
~ E. M Bounds“God will not permit any troubles to come upon us,
unless He has a specific plan by which
great blessing can come out of the difficulty.”
~ Peter Marshall
“When God Has Another Plan”
by the Greenes
Lord, please help us
to trust Your plan.
Please help us to say “yes”
to Your plans for us.
Linking up with:
Holley – Coffee For Your Heart
Jennifer – Tell His Story
Kelly – Cheerleaders of Faith
Freed to Fly 
LOVE THIS >> “The incomprehensible suffering He went through for us and His triumph over all evil will get us through whatever suffering we must go through in this life.” Beautifully written post, Trudy! I needed to read this today. Happy to be your neighbor over on the #RaRaLinkup
I also love your site background. 🙂 Butterflies are my favorite!
LikeLike
Thank you, Lauren. I’m so glad your heart was strengthened. I need to remind myself of Jesus’ suffering for us and His faithfulness often. I love butterflies, too! 🙂 Praying Jesus will uphold you and carry you through all the struggles you must go through in this life! Hugs!
LikeLike
What a perfect illustration of how we see our lives: the underside of the tapestry jumbled up, perhaps threads hanging, not a pretty picture at all. Yet, other people and God see the other side, in all its beauty, unique, the artistry wows us. We think about the beautiful hands and mind that created that with such sensitivity to beauty. That is how I see you, Trudy, in your words shared with us. Yet I know these ‘perfect’ words belie a life jumbled up in pain. Yet you handed it over and keep handing it over to the Master Weaver and offer us your tapestry of encouragement. Thank you, Trudy.
LikeLike
I’m so moved by your loving comment, Sita. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. I’d never thought I was offering up a tapestry of encouragement. Thanks be unto God for His love and grace to use weak vessels. He can bring beauty out of ashes. Praying Jesus will strengthen and heal whatever pain you are going through! Hugs!
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing such an edifying post!
I had never read the Peter Marshall quote before, but I found it so very encouraging!
Thank you for sharing the examples from the Bible, testimonies of what God did in the great saints lives; reminders of what He is still doing in our lives.
LikeLike
Thank you, Karen. I’m so grateful you were edified and encouraged. Sometimes when we are in the midst of troubles, it’s hard to believe a blessing will come out of it, but God is faithful and loves to bring beauty out of ashes. Praying Jesus will hold you close throughout the struggles in your life and give you peace and strength! Hugs!
LikeLike
I’m sure that most people who look at my life only see the ‘back side’ of my tapestry. I know that God sees something very different .Master weavers do a pretty good job of keeping the back side tidy, too ;).
LikeLike
Thank you for these thoughts, Anita. It’s such a blessing that our tapestries are in the Master Weaver’s hands. 🙂 Praying the Master Weaver will weave all your pains and struggles into the beauty of His love and grace! Hugs!
LikeLike
Oh my goodness Trudy, I think God was showing us the same truths this week that his plans are so much better than our plans, even though they may not initially seem like it! You are so right that although we’ll have trouble in this world, that God promises to walk beside us, even when we don’t understand it. And we may not see the work of his hand in all areas of our lives but yet we trust that he is working all things together for our good! (And yes, you really should go to the DeSmet museum for Laura Ingalls Wilder — how can you live so close and never go?! 🙂 When I was a teen, my parents drove a day out of our way on our way home from vacation so I could visit her farm in Missouri!)
LikeLike
That gives me such a warm and cozy feeling that God was showing us the same truths this week, Valerie. 🙂 That together we may remember God’s plans are much greater than ours and He will be with us through whatever plan He has. Praying God will gently hold your hand and guide you along this journey of life! Hugs!
Yes, I know I really should go to that museum. 🙂 It’s strange how a person doesn’t always take the time out to go to places like that. Now my health limits me, but years before I guess we were too busy with other things. That’s awesome that your parents would drive that far out of the way for you to see the farmstead. 🙂
LikeLike
Trudy – So glad we are neighbors at #CoffeeForYourHeart … I have been reminding myself a lot lately that Gods plans and thoughts are not my plans and thoughts 🙂 This was such a good reminder and confirmation of what He has been speaking to me. thank you so much for sharing your post today.
LikeLike
I’m so glad this confirmed you of the truth God is laying on your heart lately, Debbie. It’s not always easy to accept His plans when we can’t understand, but yes, His plans and thoughts are so much higher than ours. Praying God will give you peace and strength for each day and help you to keep clinging to that truth! Hugs!
LikeLike
That backwards-looking can teach me SO much about God’s faithfulness! Thanks for the reminder, Trudy, that God DOES have a plan, and that we can trust him with it!
LikeLike
You’re so welcome, Lisa. I need to remind myself of that every day and sometimes often in the day. Yes! We can trust His plan! Praying God will continue to hold you up through whatever you go through and give you peace in whatever His plan is! Hugs!
LikeLike
Oh yes to these lines from the song:”But if you could see tomorrow with a view from Heaven’s throne, every unexpected struggle has led you closer home.” My life seems to have been a series of interrupted plans, unwanted occurrences and challenging changes, yet through it all I can see God’s hand at work as He shapes His child for eternity. Thank you, Trudy. Lovely thoughts to inspire and encourage our hearts anew. Blessings, hugs and love. Xox ❤
LikeLike
Yes, I understand how you feel, Joy. So many things we don’t want, and yet God has a hand in it for our good. I pray to be made more into Christ’s image, but yet when things happen that actually answer my prayer, I balk against it. I’m so glad it’s all in God’s hands, not ours. What a comforting thought it is that “every unexpected struggle has led you closer home.” Praying God will continue to lead you with His loving, gracious hand! Blessings, hugs, and love to you, too!
LikeLike
Great examples from the Bible about how God has much better plans than we do, Trudy. It always takes looking back on my life situations for me to understand this. Rarely do I fully trust Him in the midst of a struggle. That’s something I’m really working on. Thank you for this beautiful and much needed encouragement, my friend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Candace, I am so sorry I never responded to this comment back in 2015! I don’t know how I missed it! I was just looking up this post, because over the past couple of months it has gotten into some of the most read posts. I’m with you on rarely fully trusting God in the midst of struggles. I remain a work in progress. May God carry us through this coronavirus crisis!
LikeLike
[…] God’s Plan Is Greater Than Ours […]
LikeLike
[…] God’s Plan Is Greater Than Ours […]
LikeLike
[…] “However messed up or painful our lives are, God has a plan of love towards us. We will suffer troubles on this earth, and often we will not understand. But He is never going to leave us in them. He will help us through them. And when the pain is so deep, He can go to those deep places in our hearts and heal those broken, hurting places. The incomprehensible suffering He went through for us and His triumph over all evil will get us through whatever suffering we must go through in this life. And someday we will see the bigger picture and see how God’s plan is the most beautiful design we could ever imagine.”Read More… […]
LikeLike
This has been published way earlier before my accident in 2017. But then again, even if I can no longer walk without a cane and my right hip has been replaced, my trust in God is far more greater than the fear and depression I would have felt after my accident. I know He has plans for me and a reason as to why I got into it. I trust in Him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad this older post ministered to you, Adelheid. I’m so sorry about your accident and the limited movement as a result. I hope you don’t have lingering pain, too. I’m glad you were given grace to trust in God and know He has plans for you. Often the hardships in our lives teach us the deeper lessons about God’s faithful love. May we trust Him even when we don’t always understand!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I’m praying that this pain will go away eventually. Yes, He, indeed, has plans for me and my daughter. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
God bless both you and your daughter! 🙏🏻
LikeLiked by 1 person