It’s not for you to know: Trust God's plan when you can't see it

This article is republished from Dianna Hobbs’ “Your Daily Cup of Inspiration,” one of the Top 100 blogs for women of faith. To get more inspiration like this, visit YourDailyCupOfInspiration.com.

I often laugh and tease my husband Kenya because he can take a full nap sitting up straight. I don’t know how he manages to snooze without nodding. When he does this, the only way to tell he’s sleeping is by looking at his eyes and his level of stillness. He makes no movements for an extended period of time, and that’s how I know he has gone to la-la land.

As for me, when I fall asleep sitting up, I nod and can’t get comfortable. I have to take myself to bed!   

The other day, I took a picture and short video of Kenya napping in a chair at home and sent it to his phone. He cracked up laughing when he saw it and said, “I look like I’m just looking down.”

But nope. He was in a deep sleep. Maybe one day I’ll master that skill too. It would sure come in handy, particularly on long flights.

Although I can’t rest peacefully in an upright position, in my spiritual walk with God, I can find rest in any position, no matter how uncomfortable. Let me add, however, this is only true when I trust God in all circumstances. And that’s not easy, especially in uncertain times when God doesn’t reveal His plan.

This makes me think about something I read in Acts 1. In a letter to a man named Theophilus, the writer Luke shares details of the conversations the apostles had with Jesus after His death and resurrection. Jesus spent 40 days on earth giving what Luke called “convincing proof that He was alive.” At this sacred and most special time, Jesus taught and instructed the apostles about the Kingdom of God.

One day, while eating with them, they asked Jesus this question: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” The Jews were hopeful that the Messiah would deliver them from the yoke of the Romans and establish a temporal kingdom for them on earth. But Jesus didn’t give them the answer they hoped to hear. He told them in verse 7, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.”

The response Jesus gave the apostles reminds me of what adults used to tell me when I was younger and would butt in on a grownup conversation. They’d say, “Stay out of grown folks’ business!” Have you ever been told that? Well, that’s essentially what Jesus told His followers. He said, none of your business.

“You can’t know everything, but you can know this for sure: God has an awesome plan for your life, and He will cause all things to work together for your good!”

— Dianna Hobbs

You see, some things are not for us to know, and not knowing can absolutely drive you up a wall—that is if you don’t exercise your faith in God’s sovereignty. While every now and then we may get a glimpse of what God is up to, more often than not, He leaves us in the dark. And in those dark seasons, you have to remind yourself that you are in the hands of a good God who is sovereign, all-powerful and strategic. He is never off duty. God is always working. And though you may not know His full plan for you now, He certainly has an incredible one.

Friend, don’t try to figure everything out. None of us has any control over what, how, or when God does what He does. We can only trust His will and timing. The next time you feel worried or anxious, remember Jesus' words to the apostles, which are His words to you today: it is not for you to know the times and seasons. Rather, it is for you to know and trust the One who controls the times and seasons.

Again, you’re in good hands. As long as you seek the Lord, He will order your steps, open doors for you, make ways in your life and ensure that you possess everything He has in store for you.

Today, I’m stirring Psalm 31:14-15a into your cup of inspiration, which says, “But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God. My times are in Your hands…’”

As you drink down the contents of your cup, remember that the key to peace is trust. When you put your hope and unwavering faith in God, you can rest in any position.

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