This is a guest post from Marina Abdel Malak - a nursing student recovering from ANOREXIA NERVOSA. In a previous guest post, Marina spoke about her battle with her eating disorder and how God helped her to overcome. Today she speaks specifically about how she has gotten through and been able to keep hope alive throughout the tough times.  You can follow Marina onher blog.  And if you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for success and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11

The other day, I was reading the Bible when I came across this verse.  And it made me pause.  There was something about these words that caught my attention. God says that He has a plan for us. And not just any plan, but one that will give us a future full of hope and success.

Every human being wants this future. We work and toil throughout our lives so that we can have a good future. We want to be successful, to have money, nice clothes, a house, a car, and a family. We dream of living happily ever after.

But easier said than done!  Life doesn’t always cooperate.  It fills our path with trials and challenges. During times of trouble, the future seems so distant and we feel frustrated. We don’t understand what is happening, and why life has to be so hard. All we want is to have a happy future, but right now, it almost seems impossible.

Doesn't it?

Then we come to the Bible and read this beautiful verse in Jeremiah. To me, it is as though God is telling me to slow down. He is telling me to stop what I am doing, and keep my eyes on Him. God is saying:

I am God. I know what I am doing. I have a plan for you. You are not alone, and your existence has a purpose that only I know. Your life may seem challenging now, but all of this is part of the plan I have for you. Don’t worry, because I am with you. I am in control of what is happening. It may seem difficult now, but don’t forget about Me. My plan for your future is greater than anything you can ever imagine. Believe in Me, and have faith.

This alone fills me with peace. It gives me comfort that I am not alone. I have the guidance and power of my God. I am human, and I wish to always be in control of my life. I want to see good things happening in my life, and I want a good future. I want to see the rewards of my work NOW. I don’t want to face obstacles.

But God sees things differently. He is telling me that I am not in control – that I cannot do anything without Him. If I rely on my own strengths, I will not have success. However, if I keep my focus on God, I will eventually see that He was working all along.  I will see His wonderful plan working in my life.

This doesn’t mean that life will be easy. In fact, I believe the opposite is true.  Our lives are difficult and full or trials and often it is because God wants us to learn something from them.

A hard assignment or difficult coworkers are not fun to deal with, but these experiences teach us lessons for the future. We become stronger as a result of our experiences. During this time, we may not understand how this can possibly work out in our favour. We cry out to God and complain that we don’t understand why He is allowing this to happen. We are angry, and we blame God for leaving us alone. But it is at these times that we must remain hopeful.

We need to meditate on His words in Jeremiah and understand that He has a PLAN for our future, to give us HOPE and SUCCESS.

For discussion:  Think about a time when you wanted to be in control, but felt that things weren’t going your way. Can you NOW see how this was part of God’s plan for you?