We Don’t Resign Ourselves to God's Plan, We Rest in It

Proverbs 3:6, NIV

in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Jeremiah 29:11, NLT

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭8‬-‭9‬, ‭ESV‬‬

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Ephesians 3:20, NIV

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

To resign ourselves to something is to insinuate that the thing or circumstance is lesser than what we would want or imagine.

And sometimes this is how we feel with God.

Sometimes we feel like our submission to His plan is almost a resignation to his plan—we subconsciously think His plan is not as good as ours.

But God's plan is not only as good as ours, it’s always better—even in the times when we can’t see how. 

His ways are never lower or lesser than ours, they’re always higher and greater.

Sometimes we won’t see how God's plan is better until we can see the situation in hindsight—and there are some things we won’t understand the greatness of until we have the hindsight of Heaven. 

But, the longer we walk with God, the quicker we are to be able to rest in His plan—because we’ve seen His perfect goodness revealed throughout the stages of our lives. Even the confusing and painful ones. 

And our resignation to His plan becomes a restful surrender to His plan. 

Resignation is wrapped in resentment. Restful surrender is wrapped in gratitude—gratitude that we don’t have to know or understand because God does.

Sometimes our head has to remind our heart, and that’s okay.

So today, if your plan doesn’t seem to be going the way you planned, hand it over to our Heavenly Planner—not in resignation, but in rest. 

And the peace of God, which surpasses [is of more value than] understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.