Have you ever made plans, worked towards a goal and felt you were finally making progress, only to have everything take an unexpected turn?
Life doesn’t always follow the script we have written for it. And sometimes, neither does God.
In Episode 19 of Fearless One, I explore what happens when our expectations of how God should move become an obstacle to recognising what He is actually doing.
The truth is that God is not obligated to give us a repeat performance of our lives.
When we expect God to do it the same way
Consider the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5. A commander in the Syrian army, Naaman was suffering from leprosy. When he travelled to Israel seeking healing, he expected the prophet Elisha to meet him personally, call upon God and perform some dramatic act.
Instead, Elisha sent a messenger with a simple instruction: wash in the Jordan River seven times.
Naaman was offended. The method wasn’t what he expected. He even questioned why he should wash in the waters of the Jordan when there were better rivers in his own country.
But his healing was on the other side of his obedience.
How often do we do the same thing? We have an idea of how God will answer our prayers, open doors or bring about change. When the answer looks different, we become frustrated or even question whether He is moving at all.
Sometimes the breakthrough requires us to do something we hadn’t considered.
Don’t become attached to the rod
Moses offers another important lesson.
God gave Moses a rod that became a symbol of His power. Through it, Moses witnessed extraordinary things. It was used to demonstrate God’s authority before Pharaoh, part the Red Sea and bring provision to the Israelites.
But there came a time when God instructed Moses to speak to a rock to bring forth water.
Instead, Moses struck it twice.
The water came, but Moses’ disobedience had consequences. He would not enter the Promised Land.
The lesson is not that the rod was wrong. It was that Moses could not allow the method God had used previously to become more important than the instruction God was giving him now.
Our gifts, achievements, opportunities, jobs, money and relationships can all be instruments through which God blesses us. But none of them should ever become greater than the Giver.
What worked in one season may not be what God requires in the next.
Sometimes what looks impossible is an opportunity to see God’s glory
Then there is Lazarus.
When Jesus received news that His friend was sick, He did not immediately go to him. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead and buried for four days.
Mary and Martha had expected Jesus to come sooner. They knew He could have healed their brother.
But Jesus demonstrated that His power extended beyond the circumstances they understood.
He called Lazarus out of the grave, and their brother was restored to them.
What appeared to be the end of the story became an opportunity to witness God’s glory.
Give God permission to change your plans
Planning is not wrong. Proverbs 16:3 encourages us to commit our work to the Lord and trust Him with our plans.
But committing our plans to God also means giving Him permission to redirect them.
You may be a planner who likes to know what comes next, or someone who prefers to work things out as you go. Either way, there is a level of surrender required when life takes an unexpected turn.
Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us not to lean on our own understanding but to acknowledge God in all our ways.
The situation may look familiar, but you are not the same person who started the journey.
You have grown. You have learned. Your faith has been tested and strengthened.
Don’t allow familiarity with the past to limit what God wants to do in your future.
Going off script doesn’t mean going without God
If life is not unfolding as you expected, this is an opportunity to lean into God rather than away from Him.
Ask the Holy Spirit for direction. Be willing to improvise. Be willing to obey even when you don’t understand the method.
Remember the Fearless Framework:
Blessed: Your identity does not change because your circumstances do.
Fruitful: You can continue developing even in unfamiliar territory.
Multiply: You can create value and bear fruit even in seasons that feel like drought.
Dominion: You can stand firm, exercise wise stewardship and remain anchored in who you are and whose you are.
You were made to thrive. Not because everything will always go according to plan, but because your confidence rests in the One who holds your future.
Listen to Episode 19 of Fearless One: Going Off Script, and be encouraged to trust God when life takes an unexpected turn.
Live Fearless!
For further reflection on identity and purposeful living, explore Nerissa’s book, Live Fearless: A Christian Entrepreneur’s Guide to Life and Business – Get yours at https://amzn.to/4pgFgUz
Spotify –> https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/nerissa-golden/episodes/Going-Off-Script-When-God-Does-It-Differently–Episode-19-e3rt45i
Substack –> https://trulynerissa.substack.com/p/going-off-script-when-god-does-it?
YouTube –> https://youtu.be/RKrAqw2OZxA
Listen to the podcast via Audible https://a.co/d/0ayunBh5
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Music by Nico Anuch – Fresh Air – https://thmatc.co/?l=B1063F2B