As humans who tend to err, we often want some semblance of control over our circumstances, our family, our jobs, and just about every other area of our lives. But when our health fails, when the promotion doesn't go through, and when everything seems to go wrong, we can trust God has a plan for us, even when our lives appear to fall apart. Here are some Bible verses about God’s will for us.
What is the will of God?
God's will and plan are essentially synonymous. He has a will and plan for our lives. When Christians say something similar to, "I'll be at the event tomorrow, the Lord willing," they mean, I will be there if it's part of God's plan. If you will something, you allow it to happen.
Some examples of verses that talk about God's will are:
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells Christians to give thanks in all circumstances because this is the will of God. God's plan for our live includes us exercising gratitude, no matter what situation we have found ourselves in.
- Matthew 6:10, a verse part of the Lord's prayer Jesus prayed, asks for God's will to be done. When Christians pray this, they pray that God's plan for our lives, for the world, and for those around us to take place.
- Hebrews 10:36 calls Christians to do the will of God so we can receive His promises. A verse that best sums up what God calls us to do is found in:
- Micah 6:8, this verse tells us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. If we do these three, we do the will of God.
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What does Jeremiah 29:11 mean?
One of the most common verses associated with God's plan is Jeremiah 29:11. Christians do, of course, have to keep in mind the original context of this verse. It isn't a light and fluffy verse that says, "Whatever hardship you're going through, the Lord will take you out of it." The original audience of this verse was about to endure 70 years of Babylonian captivity. They heard this verse to know God had a plan for them, amidst the hardship.
We should keep this verse in mind when thinking about God's plan for our own lives. While reading it through the lens of the original context, we can know God does have a plan for us, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're going to avoid difficult tasks or circumstances. No matter what we go through, we know we have a God with a plan for our lives.
What Bible verse talk about trusting God's plan?
From here, from knowing we will endure hardships and God's plan will enact amidst those trials, how do we go about trusting God's plan. In the midst of the storm, how do we keep our eyes on Jesus instead of the waves?
These verses talk about trusting in God's plan:
- Proverbs 3:5 compels us to trust in the Lord and not to lean on our own understanding. In other words, we have a limited perspective. In the middle of storms and pain and darkness, we have a hard time seeing the whole perspective clearly.
- Psalm 28:7 describes God as our sword and shield in whom we trust. Every day, whether a good day or bad one, we enter a spiritual battle. We need to trust in the leader of our army, the one who furnishes our spiritual weapons, to guide us in the middle of battle.
- Psalm 9:10 says we trust in God because He does not forsake us. Even when we feel as though we are all alone, we know God is with us. He will not leave us in the middle of the hardest times of life. Instead, He carries us through those.
- Psalm 37:5 encourages us to commit our lives to the Lord, and He will act. What this means is, we need to put our plans and dreams for our lives in the Lord's hands. No, it will not always turn out the way that we expect, but the Lord has far greater plans in mind for us than we could ever hope or imagine.
Bible verses about God having a plan for our lives.
Moving on from trusting God, we do need to consult some verse which talk about God's plan for our lives, so we can understand why we're relinquishing all of ourselves, our dreams, everything into His hands:
- Philippians 1:6 encourages us that God will follow through with His plan for us "until the day of Jesus Christ," meaning the second coming of Christ.
- 1 Peter 1:4 talks about the inheritance we receive that is kept in Heaven. It's often easy to get bogged down in the troubles of life that we forget our reward exists in Heaven.
- Proverbs 19:21 says men devise many plans, but only God's plan stands. From this, we can know God's plan for our lives will not be shaken. Nothing can hinder His will for us.
- Psalm 38:2 says God will instruct us on where to go and what to do. We don't have to worry if He'll never make His plan plain for us or if the plan even exists. God will guide us throughout our lives.
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Hope Bolinger is a literary agent at C.Y.L.E. and a recent graduate of Taylor University’s professional writing program. More than 400 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer’s Digest to Keys for Kids. She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams. Her column “Hope’s Hacks,” tips and tricks to avoid writer’s block, reaches 6,000+ readers weekly and is featured monthly on Cyle Young’s blog. Her modern-day Daniel, "Blaze," (Illuminate YA) just released, and they contracted the sequel for 2020. Find out more about her here.