Devotions
God’s Plan for You
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11
An Unexpected
Disappointment
One day, our company
was hiring an expert accountant. I was serving on the Board of Directors and
chairing the recruitment committee. By the end of the process, we had narrowed
the search to two outstanding finalists.
I knew one of them
personally. He was a Christian working in a government institution in a junior
role. The position we were filling offered a salary nearly five times higher
than what he was earning at the time. He needed that opportunity badly: he was preparing
to get married and was looking for a stable, well-paying job. Like anyone in
his situation, he hoped deeply to be selected.
In the end, however,
the other candidate was the better fit for the role. The young man left
disappointed and discouraged, perhaps feeling that life had passed him by. Yet
only a few months later, he received a major promotion in his own institution.
He was appointed Deputy CEO. Although the salary was lower than what we had
offered, the honour, responsibility, and prestige of that position far
outweighed the financial difference.
God Works According
to His Purpose
The Bible repeatedly
reminds us that God has a plan for His children. He is still at work in our
lives. Until we become what He intended when He created us, we are still being
shaped and prepared.
Much of that work
happens quietly. God often does not reveal in advance what He is preparing for
us. Our part is to trust that, in His time, He will accomplish what He has
promised. We may not understand His plan or see it unfolding, but we can be
confident in His intentions: to give us hope and a future.
Israel experienced
this during the Babylonian captivity. The people had no idea how they would
ever return to their land. Yet God sent them a word of encouragement: even
though they were suffering the consequences of their sin, His purpose for them
had not ended. At the appointed time, He would restore them.
And that is exactly
what happened. After 70 years of captivity, Cyrus king of Persia issued a
decree: “… any of his [God’s] people among you may go up to Jerusalem in
Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel…” (Ezra 1:1–11). In this way,
the people were released and allowed to return. As Proverbs 21:1 teaches, the
heart of a king is in the hands of the Lord, and He directs it wherever He
pleases.
A Lesson for Our Own
Lives
I often wonder what
that young man thought when he lost what seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Humanly speaking, I can understand the disappointment. Perhaps he prayed, “God, You know how much I need this job. I need
financial progress. I need to prepare for marriage, buy a car, build a home,
and support a family. I prayed before that interview. You could have intervened
and opened that door for me.”
But I can also
imagine his prayer after receiving his promotion: “Lord, thank You that I was not chosen for that
position, because I would have missed something far greater.”
That is often how
God works. His plan for you has not changed, even when opportunities seem to
slip away. What looks like a closed door may simply be protection, redirection,
or preparation for something better. God’s desire is not only
to give you eternal life, but also to guide your steps here on earth according
to His wisdom.
So do not lose heart
over missed opportunities. What God has prepared for you may be far beyond what
you can currently imagine. He is able to raise up your own “Cyrus” at every stage of
life, someone, somewhere, or some circumstance He will use to open the right
doors at the right time. May God surprise you with opportunities greater than
the ones you thought you had lost.
Posted : Jun 22, 2026