When our plans do not Work Out

Read Psalm 31.

What about those times when God does not protect us from pain and suffering?  What are we to say and think then?

It appears that David wrote this song after his enemies gained the upper hand.  He felt hemmed in and all seemed lost.  But to those of us who believe in the LORD our hope was never in this life to begin with.  Even in the worst of circumstances, we are never truly alone and never without trust in God's purpose and plans.

When all seemed lost, David committed his life and future to the One who gave him life.  See verses 5 and 15.  "Into your hand I commit my spirit."   These were the very words the Lord Jesus quoted on the cross (Luke 23:46).  Suffering, or at worst death, does not constitute the end.  Eternity is ahead.

David realized that the true battle was spiritual.  "I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the LORD."  It was a choice.  Believers can become distracted and latch onto other things when our plans do not go our way.   Jonah's decision was to run from what God wanted.  In doing so, he brought the suffering on himself and others.  In his prayer of repentance he said, "Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love" (Jonah 2:8).  One translation has it, they "forsake the grace that could be theirs."  God wants us to learn that no matter what happens to us in this life, His love and His grace are there to sustain us.

It felt as though he was in a tight spot, between a rock and a hard place, with no way out.  But he soon realized that God had set his "feet in a broad place" (v.8b).  With God there are options and escapes that are not always immediately apparent.

Only those who trust Him through it all get to sing the victory song.
"Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!" (v.24)