For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor 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.

~Isaiah 55:8-9 NASB

In 2014, I went through what I think was one of the hardest moments of my life–one of those where I asked what if. The relationship with my then fiancé whom I loved dearly, ended. And I’m not talking about your average breakup. I’m talking bullets, police, and jail time.

Dashed Dreams

We had been through many ups and downs over the years we had dated, but in my heart, I felt peaceful and confident about where we were headed. However, about a month before the wedding, I had this nagging feeling something would go wrong. I’m just nervous, I thought, but this was different. The Holy Spirit pressed something heavy on my heart.

After much prayer and fasting, I knew I had to postpone the wedding. I made the hard decision to tell my fiancé I didn’t think we were ready. We needed a little more counseling to work through some issues, and then we could move forward. Although he was hurt, which I expected, we decided to work through our problems. Our communication was minimal, but I felt okay. In my mind, I said, All right, Lord, we’ll get some more counseling and then be on our way. Or so I thought.

A week later I got the call. He had been shot. I had felt a strong sense that something was wrong. Yet, never in a million years did I think it would end like this. My thoughts on how the next steps in this process were going to look were different from God’s. His way was different than mine.

Rearranged Dreams

Then it dawned on me. What if the very thing I feared the most, the relationship not working out, was the thing God wanted to use to display His glory in my life? Through this heartache, I felt God’s protection and peace. I experienced His Word ministering to the deepest places of my broken heart and, in a way, I’d never felt before.

Think about the following:

WHAT IF that relationship doesn’t go as planned because God has someone who is better than what you could ask for?

WHAT IF you’re still in a position because someone at work needs to see the love of Christ through you?

WHAT IF your business hasn’t moved the way you planned because God needs to infuse your heart with a double dose of humility so you can handle the great things He has planned for you?

Renewed Dreams

I’d be crazy to say I knew what God was up to in your life, but I know God’s promises never return void. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. So, the next time your circumstances take you by surprise, ask, “What if?”

Although my ex survived the shooting, God brought me the man of my dreams a few years later.

What are some ways you can surrender your plans to God? 

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are full of mercy and care for every intricacy of my life. I surrender my plans to You and trust You to make my desires Yours so You can bring about the best plan and one that is so good I cannot yet fathom the size or scope of it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Adapted from Pages from My Heart: A Devotional for Women, by Lekeisha (Ford) Maldon: Used with permission

Copyright 2021: What If: Lekeisha Maldon: All Rights Reserved