Sometimes what hurts most is not only what happened. It is what you thought would happen. The future you imagined. The relationship you expected to last. The opportunity you believed would come. The prayer you thought God would answer differently. The timeline you had carefully constructed. When those things change, it can feel as though the future disappeared with them. But hear this clearly: A changed plan is not a canceled purpose. God’s purpose for your life has never depended on everything happening exactly the way you planned it.
He is bigger than the detour. Bigger than the delay. Bigger than the disappointment. Bigger than what you lost. Joel 2:25 is a declaration from a restoring God: “I will repay you for the years…” God sees the years. He sees what was taken. He sees what was delayed. He sees what did not happen. And He knows how to redeem all of it. Do not put a period where God may have placed a comma.
Do not call something finished simply because it changed. Do not declare your best days behind you when God is still preparing what is ahead. Your future is not canceled. Your purpose is not canceled. Your calling is not canceled. Your ability to love, serve, dream, build, create, and begin again is not canceled. God still has more. Hurt doesn’t win when God still holds your tomorrow.
“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…”
Joel 2:25 (NIV)
Lord,
Thank You that my future remains secure in Your hands. When my plans change, help me remember that Your purpose has not. When doors close, keep me from believing there are no more doors. When something ends, give me faith to believe You can still create a new beginning. Redeem the years. Restore my hope. Renew my expectation. Help me stop measuring my future by what happened in my past. My tomorrow belongs to You. And because You are already there, I will walk toward it with faith.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
What part of your future have you quietly given up on because something did not happen according to your plan? Take a few quiet moments to write your response in this week’s Companion Journal.
Join Dr. Lael for this week’s While You Wait Wednesday video and receive encouragement as we continue October’s journey of endurance and healing.
Watch Your Future Is Not Canceled with Dr. Lael on YouTube.
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