God’s Good Plans are Now

A few months ago at a church service, one of my brothers, Michael, shared something with our church that was so inspiring and difficult to hear all at once. 

Here’s a little background before I share what he said. Michael was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in the summer of 2022. He had tumors all over his body and was on the edge of losing the function of his legs due to a tumor on his spine. He went through a lot of very painful things before and during his treatment; he had to have bone marrow taken from his hip, he went through radiation for the tumor on his spine, he went through months of chemotherapy, and even before treatment, he experienced so much pain due to the cancerous tumors all over his body. These are just some of the things he went through and those are only the physical. 

He experienced deep pain and suffering mentally and emotionally before he got his diagnosis as he was confused why this pain was happening and spent so many nights crying out in agony. Once he was diagnosed, he had to grapple with the fact that he might die. At that time, he had a wife and two children (now he and his wife have another child!), and I know it was so scary to think of what his family would do if the cancer couldn’t be cured.

Praise God that Michael has been fully healed and is cancer-free! But at that time, he didn’t know how the story would end. He didn’t know if he would die or how long the treatment would take, there were so many uncertainties. This is what Michael shared at church after he was healed.

This quote isn’t verbatim but he shared something along these lines: We always hear that God has good plans. We often find comfort through trials and suffering knowing that God will bring about His good plans. We think of these “good plans” as a future thing that we are eagerly awaiting. But God’s good plans are now. Even in the pain and the suffering, God’s good plans are right here and right now. 

Michael shared that God’s good plans were unfolding even when he was first diagnosed with cancer, during his treatment, and even before he was healed. God’s good plans weren’t just for Michael to be healed, they were for him to go through all that he did and to learn, grow, and be strengthened in his faith. 

This truth was extremely challenging to hear, but man was it encouraging! It is so hard for us as humans to truly understand what “good” means. Our definition of good is not the same as God’s. Very often, God’s good plans happen amidst so much chaos, trials, and confusion. 

We are concerned about our circumstances, God is concerned with our hearts. When we see difficulty, God sees a chance to become perseverant. When we see discomfort, God sees growth. When we see pain and suffering, God sees a chance for us to trust Him and share the testimony of that trial afterward. When we see bad, hard, or impossible, God sees a chance to make us become more like Jesus and make us holy. Everything we go through in this life is a chance to learn more about God’s character, grow in becoming more like Him, learn how to trust Him more, and it’s a chance to testify to those around us during and after our trials.

God is not concerned about our lives being easy or comfortable. He is so much more focused on us being like Him and our hearts being transformed and softened. We want to know all the details, God wants us to trust Him in the unknown. We want comfort, God wants us to be sanctified. We want ease, but God wants us to grow. What is good to God may not seem good to us, but He is the creator and definer of good. Who are we to exclaim to Him, “These plans aren’t good!”?

When my brother said God’s good plans are now, he meant even when you get the cancer diagnosis. Even when a loved one unexpectedly dies. Even when you are struggling through depression, anxiety, or suicidal ideation. Even when you are dealing with traumatic events in your life. Even when you get fired from your job. Even when you’re struggling with infertility. You fill in the blank with whatever you are suffering with right now. God has good plans EVEN in that situation.

This doesn’t mean that cancer is good, death is good, mental health struggles are good, trauma is good, or that infertility is good. Our suffering in itself is not what is good. But what God does through it and during it, that is good. God is able to redeem anything in this world. God is able to make even the most horrible situations into a beautiful and hope-filled testimony. Don’t think that what you are going through is so bad that it overpowers God’s goodness. Nothing can touch the goodness of God.

I know that real suffering can produce hopelessness and such intense pain. I don’t want to invalidate that pain. But don’t let it stop at hopelessness and pain. Allow God to shine His light onto your situation. Allow Him to do what He does. He makes light out of darkness. He brings hope to the hopeless. He brings joy even in the most heart-breaking times. God is a God of the impossible, and that includes your situation.

Let my brother’s words be an encouragement to you, God’s good plans for you are RIGHT NOW. Don’t believe the lie that God doesn’t have what is best for you in mind. His plans are always for our good and for His glory. You may not realize what good thing God is trying to do in your heart through this, but I know He has a plan for you and it is what you need, even if it isn’t what you want. Let Him work. Trust Him. I promise His plans for you are far better than anything you can come up with, and they are unfolding as you read this.

Even if it doesn’t feel good right now, take heart. God is working all things out and He loves you deeply. God is with you friend, even amidst the pain and suffering. He is good, and His plans for you are good. Thanks for showing up,

-Elena ❤