When God bursts your bubble …

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Can you picture it?

After an hour of stomping his feet, throwing things in a fury, yelling and screaming, the Apostle Paul finally broke down weeping. It was loud, mournful, deep wailing. His heart was broken, his hopes smashed.

How could God do this?

Preaching the Gospel to the lost in Asia was his great desire, yet the Holy Spirit wouldn’t let him go. As bad as that was, he dreamed a new dream of preaching to the people of Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit prevented him from going there as well. Two shattered dreams! How could God not allow him to carry out his dream? It wasn’t right!

Actually, that’s NOT how it happened. Acts 16:6-10 tells us the real story: “6 Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. 7 Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. 8 So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. 9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us!’ 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.”

Sometimes we believe we understand what God wants us to do, or believe God approves of the dreams we have, only to discover that He is pointing us in another direction. What do you do when God bursts your bubble and won’t bless your plans?

Here are a few suggestions for those times when God is pointing you in a new direction:

1. REMEMBER GOD’S OMNISCIENCE – Only God knows everything. He can see and understand everything we can’t. We may think we have a great dream, a great plan, a great idea, but God can see all the holes in it. He alone can see what is best for everyone. When God redirects you, it can be reassuring to remember that He knows what He’s doing.

2. TRUST HE HAS A BETTER PLAN – God redirects us when He has a better plan for us than the one we’re dreaming of. Proverbs 14: 12 says, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” Some of our plans may not be so catastrophic, yet they don’t end well. Jeremiah 29:11 describes God’s plan for us, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’.” God thinks and acts in our best interests perfectly, so He adjusts our plans to fit a better plan, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps,” (Proverbs 16:9).

3. REFOCUS AND PUSH ON – Paul didn’t throw a tantrum when the Holy Spirit foiled his initial efforts. He didn’t insist on having his own way, and he didn’t give up on the greater mission God had called him to. Instead, he refocused on God’s leading and pushed on with a new plan. By following God’s lead, Paul stands as the most impactful person of the New Testament other than Jesus Christ.

Not every dream will, or should, become a reality. Sometimes God will burst your bubble. What will you do then?

Scotty