Sometimes God redirects life in unexpected ways. This is when that old joke about making God laugh by making plans has a ring of truth to it. When God steps in and changes the course of your life, it can be confusing. You try to keep your faith and follow God’s laws.

You consider yourself to be a spiritual person. But when, all of a sudden, you find your plans being altered, it can bring up a lot of feelings that don’t frame your faith in the best light. Hold strong, though, because this may just be the time when your faith is being tested.

Redirection is Not Always Easy

When we think of God’s guiding hand, we usually think of God steering us away from trouble. Maybe it’s a warning of some kind when we start to spend time with people who are a bad influence.

Or maybe it’s an inner voice telling you not to take a certain freeway exit that would have brought you into a bad part of town. When redirection pulls away from obvious danger, we lift our eyes and our hearts in gratitude, thankful that God redirects life.

But redirection isn’t always so predictable. Often, God redirects life to serve his needs. While we are always under God’s protection as long as we remain faithful, that doesn’t mean that God will always keep us from potentially harmful situations.

Consider an example when God maybe redirects life in a way that you have an encounter with someone you would never want to be with. Perhaps your car breaks down, and you’re stranded in a questionable area.

Someone offers to give you a lift, but it’s clear they shouldn’t be trusted. What do you do?

Do you trust your inner gut and get away as fast as possible?

Do you have faith that, even now, God is guiding your life?

Do you put your faith and trust in a stranger that you would ordinarily avoid at all costs?

Of course, in life, we all know that there are many who are not guided by God, but by a different entity. It’s important to be practical and safeguard your health.

But you can stay safe and still pray to God and ask Him why. Why was your life redirected in a way where you encountered this other kind of person?

God’s Plan is Not Your Plan

When trying to understand why God redirects life, remember that God’s plan is not your plan. In God’s eyes, he is not redirecting your life, but rather directing it.

If anything, it might have been you who was trying to redirect your life in a way that displeased God. The possible scenarios are endless, but consider an example situation where you decided to work overtime for an extended period of time in order to get something for your family.

Let’s say you want to get your family a backyard pool.

God looks favorably on parents who provide for their children. In 2 Corinthians, 12:14, we read, “For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.” In another version, it says more plainly, “Children should not have to save things to give to their parents. Parents should save to give to their children.” God teaches us that parents should save for our children. Clearly, working extra hours to save for a swimming pool would be favorable in God’s eyes, right?

But God’s plan is not the same as your plan. Remember that God redirects life in order to carry out his wishes, not yours. In this example, maybe you get laid off from your job. Not only is the swimming pool out of the question; but now you are struggling to pay the mortgage and put food on the table. Your spouse may even have to get a job as well. Things look dire.

Submit When God Redirects Life

When God redirects life, the right thing to do is submit to his will. God’s grand plan will ensure that you and your family are taken care of, even if it’s not in the way that you had hoped for. Don’t begrudge the redirection or fight God’s will. Pray for enlightenment that you may know God’s will. In Ephesians 1:18 we take to heart: “I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling.”