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The Thin Place

When Life Doesn’t Go to Plan: How to Trust in the Maker

We all have those days, or months, or maybe years when life just doesn’t seem to be falling into place the way we dreamed and it’s hard to trust in God and His plan.

Sometimes, it is a petty change of plans, like running late because little shoes were missing yet again or Starbucks being out of the soy milk you need (not that I’m speaking from experience or anything). Sometimes, the change of unexpected illness or an uninvited career twist stops and shakes you to your core, making you wonder if God sees the path you’re seeing and how the end could possibly be made better by this delay. 

Martha and Mary, when they grieved the loss of their beloved brother? What did they think? They knew that Jesus could have intervened and could have prevented the heartache, but He delayed His coming to them. Lazarus was raised, things were made right but still, do you think the ache remained within them? 

Does knowing the end of the story exclude us from heartache? Click To Tweet

I wonder what the first Man and Woman thought when things didn’t go to plan. When they stood at the base of that tree, fruit in hand, realizing the nakedness and knowing that things would never be the same again. Did they wonder how such brokenness could possibly be made right? But more than that, I wonder what God’s reaction was when His perfect Creation was tarnished by our sinful actions. Does knowing the end of the story exclude us from heartache? 

The more I ponder the world, the more I familiarize myself with God’s response, I think not. 

Christ knew what God could do for Lazarus, but that didn’t stop Him from weeping when news of His friend’s death reached His ears. 

Christ knew what God could do for Lazarus. His knowledge didn’t stop Him from weeping when news of His friend’s death reached His ears. Click To Tweet

God knew when He created Eve that she would taste the forbidden fruit and step into a brokenness she was not prepared to know. He knew when she handed the gnawed piece of fruit to Adam of the future Adam who would right the wrongs and remake all of this busted, tarnished world into something beautiful. 

I cried out a few months ago, feeling that God had let me down by not coming through when I knew He could. Someone responded anonymously (yay internet!) that God would never let me down. While I do believe, firmly, that God will always use every moment of pain and suffering for His glory and my sanctification, He did let down the expectations I had by not doing what I hope He would. 

I’m not saying God did the wrong thing, I’m just saying it did not meet the expectation I had. 

There are times when God is completely in control, when the world is still moving in His sovereign plan and toward His sovereign purposes, but we still feel let down. We sense in our bones the ache of that things are not right. 

And God senses it too. 

Jesus cried when his friend died. Because knowing the end, knowing the power of God and the certainty of what He can do, does not diminish the pain of the day. But it makes it bearable. 

When God met Job, while he was in despair, He reminded Him of all that He knew. 

I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
You asked, “Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?”
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know. – Job 42:2-3, ESV

There is comfort in knowing that God meets us in our grief over the state of the world, but there is a great comfort in knowing that we do not need to understand, because we are not able to understand. 

Life doesn’t always go to plan. And when we read through the Bible, we realize that God is there, with us, weeping over the busted remnants of the world He created. But He doesn’t stop there. He has also crafted a perfect plan of restoration to make all things right. His wisdom is greatly above ours. And He has the benefit of seeing an entire picture that we are missing. 

When Life Doesn’t Go to Plan: How to Trust in the Maker #trustgod #god #faith #christian #christianity

Trusting God When Life Doesn't Go to Plan #trust #god #christian #faith #godhasaplan

We have hope because we can trust in God and His goodness when our plans fail.

When our day goes wrong and we wonder why our plans are frustrated, when we hold our crushed dreams in the palm of our hands, when life is confusing and the days are long, we can trust that each moment of our time is being redeemed. 

All day long they injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They stir up strife, they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
For their crime will they escape?
In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.

In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

-Psalm 56:5-11, ESV

I don’t know where you are today. You might be waiting through delays or wondering where to even begin or bending under the weight of grief. Although the pain or joy of the day does matter, to your story and to God, don’t let that blind you. Because He is orchestrating the entire plan, weaving together each moment of confusion and each change of plan, to tell a beautiful tale of His glory, we can trust in God.

It is in these thin places where we are left to cling deeply to God, to rely on His presence, in a way we do not when we operate under the delusion that we have perfect control. Click To Tweet

In these thin places, life forces us to cling deeply to God, to rely on His presence. When we operate under the delusion that we have perfect control, we do not rely, day by day, on manna from our heavenly Father. But in each of these challenging, aching moments in the in-between, God is cradling you in His arms. He is counting your tears, cradling your heart, and will sustain you as you praise Him through the storm. 

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The Comments

  • Angel Penn
    May 17, 2018

    This is absolutely beautiful. I love when you talked about the emotion that Jesus felt. That’s something that we don’t often think about. It is in the precarious places in life that we realize that we have a Savior who genuinely loves and feels.

    Reply
  • harleyellender
    May 17, 2018

    Wow. So good. Thank you for this!

    Reply
  • Heather Gonzales
    May 17, 2018

    Thank you for the reminder! I’m in one of those seasons where life is so different from what I envisioned. My health is bad. My daughrer’s Health is mysteriously bad, my son has confusing special needs that nobody can seem to diagnose. It’s not how I pictured my life being, going from appointment to appointment! BUT, God is with me. He still gives his wisdom and love and hope and comfort.

    Reply
  • Margaret Westhoff
    May 17, 2018

    I needed to read this. In many ways, my life has not gone to plan, but then I remember: it is not my plan, but God’s. Thank you for reminding me of the bigger picture.

    Reply
  • Colleen Mitchell
    May 17, 2018

    I recognize that I’m not a patient woman, but I also realize that sometimes, I need to be. My plans aren’t necessarily God’s plans. And I need to make God’s plans my plans too.

    Reply
  • breepair
    May 17, 2018

    It’s not easy. Especially when it’s something horrific. We lost a friend to cancer a few years ago and I think that was one of the hardest things for me to trust God with. I still wrestle with it. But I know in my heart that I must keep trusting Him.

    Thanks for this reminder!!

    Reply
  • Tiff|SpectrumSenseForMoms
    May 18, 2018

    I really needed this right now! It’s so true. No matter how bad things may look to us, God has a perfect plan, and He knows the story’s outcome. Great example with Mary and Martha – they must have been devastated, and maybe even felt betrayed by the Lord, because He didn’t save their brother from death…but He had an even better plan! I’m trusting that He’s got something up his sleeve in my current situation…trusting that He’s going to save with a mighty arm and a genius plan, like He always has and always does. Thank you for this great reminder that He is in control!

    Reply
  • Donna Miller
    May 18, 2018

    God is so working on me in this area! This post is so incredibly encouraging! I love it!! I hope you have an awesome weekend sweet sister! Let’s rest in Jesus and trust Him! ❤

    Reply
  • Yolanda
    May 18, 2018

    Excuse me while I wipe my tears 🙂 This is so beautifully written and is actually really healing for me. Believing in the higher plan even when things don’t turn out is really hard, but knowing there is something out there beautiful for each of us helps so much.

    Reply
  • Kat Charles
    May 18, 2018

    I love Psalm 56. God is such a loving Father. One of my favorite verses is John 16:33. Though we have troubles we can rely on His promise that He has already overcome, and the promise of His presence and comfort.

    Reply
  • robertsang
    May 25, 2018

    Thank you for your encouraging post. I’ve been thinking about this subject a lot lately. It is often difficult to keep trusting God when life doesn’t go the way you expected and seems to disappoint. More so even when it seems that things are starting to look up or God has answered a prayer, only for that thing to slip out of your hands once again.

    Thank you for the reassuring words and thoughts. We do need to keep focusing on God and his word and how he sees the bigger picture rather than on our own circumstances or expectations.

    Reply
    • Bailey
      robertsang
      May 26, 2018

      Keep focusing on Him, Robert. Life is hard, but He is good.

      Reply
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Hello, I’m Bailey

The Thin Place was born out of a season of struggle. A season where I felt stretched thin and desperately longed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. The goodness of God showed up in unexpected ways. During that season, the spiritual disciplines laid out in Scripture, the traditions of the Church, and the reminders of His faithfulness seen in liturgial living and the feasts and seasons of the Church calendar all opened my eyes to the hope we have in Christ.

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Chances are, the Books of Maccabees are probably the deuterocanonical books you are most familiar with!  It is in these books that we find the origins of Hanukkah.
To be honest, they are a rough read. A really rough read. They detail the suffering the people of God endured while their enemies attempted to control their land and wipe out their religion. 
It is a set of books filled with great suffering as many of the faithful are killed but it is also a book of great bravery and trust in the Lord in the midst of trials.
In Maccabees, two of the theological principles used today are clearly seen. The first, that God created the world out of nothing. 2 Maccabees 7:28 details how God did not make the world out of things already created, but out of nothing. 
The second principle is that of praying for the dead. While there are references throughout Scripture and it is a clear practice of the Early Church, it is most clearly referenced in 2 Maccabees 12. 
#christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy  #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime
thethinplace
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Chances are, the Books of Maccabees are probably the deuterocanonical books you are most familiar with! It is in these books that we find the origins of Hanukkah. To be honest, they are a rough read. A really rough read. They detail the suffering the people of God endured while their enemies attempted to control their land and wipe out their religion. It is a set of books filled with great suffering as many of the faithful are killed but it is also a book of great bravery and trust in the Lord in the midst of trials. In Maccabees, two of the theological principles used today are clearly seen. The first, that God created the world out of nothing. 2 Maccabees 7:28 details how God did not make the world out of things already created, but out of nothing. The second principle is that of praying for the dead. While there are references throughout Scripture and it is a clear practice of the Early Church, it is most clearly referenced in 2 Maccabees 12. #christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime
1 day ago
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Judith is another archetypal story of the battle being won at the hand of a woman, seen also in Judges and Esther. 
During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, an army is sent to destroy the mountain town that Judith lives in. The people are greatly distressed and death seems to be the only option. Judith, a wealthy widow, trusts in the Lord and ultimately, kills the opposing military leader and brings peace to the people.
It is a story of God’s provision for His people in their exile through an unlikely source, a widow. In Judith, we see an archetype pointing to Mary and to the Church, waiting for her true Bridegroom. 
But it is also a story that points to the Lord’s desire to draw all nations to Himself! One of my favorite parts of the book of Judith is that it tells us of the conversion of a man who initially sets out to fight the Jewish people coming to believe in the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. 
“And when Achior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God, and was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel.” - Judith 14:10
It beautiful reminder that God’s deliverance is for all mankind. 
#proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword  #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #blessedandhighlyfavored #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #daughterofaking #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #wordbeforworld #encouragingquotes #christianlife #christianencouragement
thethinplace
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Judith is another archetypal story of the battle being won at the hand of a woman, seen also in Judges and Esther. During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, an army is sent to destroy the mountain town that Judith lives in. The people are greatly distressed and death seems to be the only option. Judith, a wealthy widow, trusts in the Lord and ultimately, kills the opposing military leader and brings peace to the people. It is a story of God’s provision for His people in their exile through an unlikely source, a widow. In Judith, we see an archetype pointing to Mary and to the Church, waiting for her true Bridegroom. But it is also a story that points to the Lord’s desire to draw all nations to Himself! One of my favorite parts of the book of Judith is that it tells us of the conversion of a man who initially sets out to fight the Jewish people coming to believe in the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. “And when Achior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God, and was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel.” - Judith 14:10 It beautiful reminder that God’s deliverance is for all mankind. #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #blessedandhighlyfavored #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #daughterofaking #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #wordbeforworld #encouragingquotes #christianlife #christianencouragement
2 days ago
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If there was any Old Testament book I would love to see made into a movie - it would be Tobit! It has everything! Despair! True love! Home remedies! Battles against demons! A quest to find the family treasure! It is truly a dramatic book. Like the book of Esther, it demonstrates God care for His people during their exile. 
Tobit is a narrative book. Like Job, it begins with a man who served the Lord but was met with misfortune so great that he begs the Lord to let Him die. At the same time, a young widow across the country is making the same request. God answers both of their prayers through the intervention of the angel Raphael who, in disguise as a man, helps Tobit’s son on a journey. It is a short, compelling story and, for that reason, it is a really great place to start if you want to read through the Deuterocanonical books.
There is also a beautiful contrast to Adam and Eve seen in the love story of Tobias and Sarah. Where one couple listened to devil and succumbed to temptation, we see the other stand firm in reliance on the Lord. This points us to the future coming of Christ and His defense of His bride, the Church.
#christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy  #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime #miblogger #michiganblogger
thethinplace
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If there was any Old Testament book I would love to see made into a movie - it would be Tobit! It has everything! Despair! True love! Home remedies! Battles against demons! A quest to find the family treasure! It is truly a dramatic book. Like the book of Esther, it demonstrates God care for His people during their exile. Tobit is a narrative book. Like Job, it begins with a man who served the Lord but was met with misfortune so great that he begs the Lord to let Him die. At the same time, a young widow across the country is making the same request. God answers both of their prayers through the intervention of the angel Raphael who, in disguise as a man, helps Tobit’s son on a journey. It is a short, compelling story and, for that reason, it is a really great place to start if you want to read through the Deuterocanonical books. There is also a beautiful contrast to Adam and Eve seen in the love story of Tobias and Sarah. Where one couple listened to devil and succumbed to temptation, we see the other stand firm in reliance on the Lord. This points us to the future coming of Christ and His defense of His bride, the Church. #christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime #miblogger #michiganblogger
3 days ago
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3/5
The Book of Wisdom full of poetic principles and outlines how to live life well. Written around the time of the Maccabean revolt, it is written in the style of Solomon (and is sometimes referred to as “The Wisdom of Solomon”) but was written by later authors.
While this book was not accepted in the Jewish cannon, it is in every copy of the Greek Septuagint but it was quote by St Augustine over 800 times and, most importantly, was declared Scripture at the Councils of Hippo and Carthage. 
It focuses on Wisdom guiding the lives of the faithful, the follies of the wicked, and focuses heavily on our future home with God and the life to come. 
For those of you familiar with the Nicene Creed, the Book of Wisdom is one of the sources of inspiration of our description of Jesus Christ. The reference to Christ being “Light from Light” is taken from Wisdom 7:26 which refers to Wisdom as being a “reflection of eternal light.” 
There are also several passages in Wisdom which foretell the death of Christ. One of my favorite passages is Wisdom 14:7, “Blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes,” which reminds me how truly blessed is the cross which held the Savior of the world, our perfect Sacrifice. 
Wisdom is very similar to the book of Proverbs in length and style. It points constantly to the Lord who, as James tells us, is ready to give wisdom to those who ask. 
#bibletime #biblereading #readyourbible #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #savedbygrace #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #givemejesus #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #biblescripture #catholicbible
thethinplace
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The Book of Wisdom full of poetic principles and outlines how to live life well. Written around the time of the Maccabean revolt, it is written in the style of Solomon (and is sometimes referred to as “The Wisdom of Solomon”) but was written by later authors. While this book was not accepted in the Jewish cannon, it is in every copy of the Greek Septuagint but it was quote by St Augustine over 800 times and, most importantly, was declared Scripture at the Councils of Hippo and Carthage. It focuses on Wisdom guiding the lives of the faithful, the follies of the wicked, and focuses heavily on our future home with God and the life to come. For those of you familiar with the Nicene Creed, the Book of Wisdom is one of the sources of inspiration of our description of Jesus Christ. The reference to Christ being “Light from Light” is taken from Wisdom 7:26 which refers to Wisdom as being a “reflection of eternal light.” There are also several passages in Wisdom which foretell the death of Christ. One of my favorite passages is Wisdom 14:7, “Blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes,” which reminds me how truly blessed is the cross which held the Savior of the world, our perfect Sacrifice. Wisdom is very similar to the book of Proverbs in length and style. It points constantly to the Lord who, as James tells us, is ready to give wisdom to those who ask. #bibletime #biblereading #readyourbible #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #savedbygrace #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #givemejesus #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #biblescripture #catholicbible
4 days ago
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Until I read the entire Bible last year for the Bible in Lent challenge, I had never read most of the Deuterocanonical / Apocryphal books of the Bible. When I did this, I realized that, aside from a vague notion of Maccabees from Hanukkah books, I had absolutely no idea what the rest of the books contained.
For the next few days, we're going to do a little overview of each of these books in the Bible.
But first, why aren't these books in the Protestant Bible?
Like most of the divides in the Catholic and Protestant conversation, there is a lot of nuances. Luther’s own translation of the Bible included these books although he moved them to a separate section. They were also included in the King James Bible of 1611 and the Geneva Bible even though they were viewed as apocryphal or “outside of Scripture.” It was not standard even in Protestantism to exclude these books from the Bible printing until 1825. 
Essentially, there is a lot of historical evidence that the church throughout history considered these books a part of the Bible. But earlier in the Church, we see evidence of Church leaders such as St. Polycarp, St. Clement of Rome, Origen, St. Athanasius, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine,  affirming some or all of these books as Scripture.
It's clear that historically, believers have seen these books as beneficial so I hope you'll join me in looking at them this week!
#godsword #jesusislife #dailydevotion #shedelights #graceupongrace #godisfaithful #lordjesus #blessedisshe #biblestudy #trustinhim #catholicism #bible #jesuslove #christianposts #readyourbible #bibledaily #intheword #wordbeforeworld #bibleversedaily #gracemakers #christianwomenleaders #bibletruth #jesusisthereasonfortheseason #godlovesyou #prayerchangesthings #dailybibleverse #seekhim
thethinplace
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•
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Until I read the entire Bible last year for the Bible in Lent challenge, I had never read most of the Deuterocanonical / Apocryphal books of the Bible. When I did this, I realized that, aside from a vague notion of Maccabees from Hanukkah books, I had absolutely no idea what the rest of the books contained. For the next few days, we're going to do a little overview of each of these books in the Bible. But first, why aren't these books in the Protestant Bible? Like most of the divides in the Catholic and Protestant conversation, there is a lot of nuances. Luther’s own translation of the Bible included these books although he moved them to a separate section. They were also included in the King James Bible of 1611 and the Geneva Bible even though they were viewed as apocryphal or “outside of Scripture.” It was not standard even in Protestantism to exclude these books from the Bible printing until 1825. Essentially, there is a lot of historical evidence that the church throughout history considered these books a part of the Bible. But earlier in the Church, we see evidence of Church leaders such as St. Polycarp, St. Clement of Rome, Origen, St. Athanasius, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine, affirming some or all of these books as Scripture. It's clear that historically, believers have seen these books as beneficial so I hope you'll join me in looking at them this week! #godsword #jesusislife #dailydevotion #shedelights #graceupongrace #godisfaithful #lordjesus #blessedisshe #biblestudy #trustinhim #catholicism #bible #jesuslove #christianposts #readyourbible #bibledaily #intheword #wordbeforeworld #bibleversedaily #gracemakers #christianwomenleaders #bibletruth #jesusisthereasonfortheseason #godlovesyou #prayerchangesthings #dailybibleverse #seekhim
5 days ago
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