Sometimes even when we are walking along the path that God has planned for our lives, bad things happen. Sometimes what we perceive to be horrible events occur, and we do not understand why they are happening. Some of these events are so difficult to understand that we feel like we must have gotten off of the path at some point and we are being punished or we have taken a wrong turn. We struggle with answers and often we begin to get angry with God and even lose faith that we were ever hearing from Him in the first place. It is sometimes only after time has gone by, in some cases years, that we realize that this event that brought us so much pain was actually part of God’s plan for our lives and it has put us in the position to do what He has always intended for us to do with our lives. Many times what appear to be derailments in our lives’ plans are actually God taking us in a new, better direction. Many times something that we perceive to be the worst thing that could possibly happen to us turns out to be what we really needed all along.

Many of us have lost a job, which has led us to a better opportunity, or we have gone through a terrible breakup only to meet the person that God has always intended for us to be with all along. Losing the previous relationship has put us in the position to meet the person that will help us complete the things that God has called us to do. Many times these seemingly horrific experiences will become some of our biggest blessings in life. It may seem impossible, especially while we are going through the difficult time, but there very well may come a time when we will actually be thankful for the terrible event that led us to our newfound discovery.

It is very difficult to believe that these painful events can be part of God’s plan, but that is because we cannot see what the outcome will be. God knows how everything is going to work out in the end, and He knows what we need in our lives better than we do. Sometimes He has to lead us through a difficult time to get us in the position to achieve what He has always had planned for our lives. Having peace over these painful events and keeping our faith during the struggles requires us to have constant communication with God. When we are talking to God and being obedient to His voice, we will not question when the difficult things happen as much as we would if we were not communicating with God and listening to His voice. It is very important for our faith in God to be strong, but it is especially important to have faith when we are going through a difficult time. We have to trust that He has everything under control and that He truly has a plan. We have to have faith that God has a plan for our lives and that His plan is perfect, even when we do not understand the direction that He is taking us.

God has the uncanny ability to turn something bad into something wonderful. We have all said that from time to time in our lives, but we often forget it when we are going through a painful time. It is easy to forget that, because all we can see is how bad the situation is. If we could see things through God’s eyes, we would never worry about anything because we would understand that everything is working toward our good.

However, we do not have God’s eyes, so we have to trust Him and surrender everything to Him. That is very difficult to do, but if we can do that we will have peace over every single situation that we experience, no matter how difficult. Even saying that seems impossible, but we need to remember that all things are possible through God. He is continually working in our lives even when we do not know it, and He is working everything out for us. What He has planned for our lives is far better than anything we could ever imagine so we have to trust Him and understand that His plan is perfect.

So, if you are going through a painful, life changing, situation right now, do not lose your faith. Continue to cling to God and let Him continue to guide your path. It is very possible that He is taking you through this difficult time only to lead you to the best part of your life. It is very possible that you have to go through this painful situation to be able to recognize a great work that God has planned for you. Every situation that we go through, the good and the bad, will help us to grow. It will help us to become the people we need to become to do the work that God has planned for us. I know it is easy to see that and to understand that when we are not going through the valley, but it is far more important to remember that when we are in the valley. We just have to believe that God has everything under control and that He has a plan. There may be times when it feels like He does not have a plan, but trust me, He does.

So, hold on to your faith, keep talking to God, keep listening to His voice, and keep being obedient. Everything will work out and everything will get better. Brighter, happier days are on the horizon. All you have to do is take God’s hand and let Him lead you to them. Never ever forget that God is in control and that He has a wonderful life mapped out for you. All you have to do is have faith and follow Him. He will lead you to the mountaintop, and when you get there you will be that much more thankful for all the valleys that you had to walk through. The valleys are what make us the people we are, and they cause us to be strong, have faith, and cling to God, and they often will be what we need to restore our peace, and as we all know, PEACE MATTERS.

~Dan~