God gave us life as a beautiful, marvelous gift to enjoy. It holds tremendous potential for us. However, it also has built-in surprises that can catch us off guard; one day may be joyful and exuberant, while the next day might be painful and agonizing. Knowing His will for our lives helps us to deal with the highs and lows, and keeps us moving in the right direction on our spiritual journey.

God loves us, and His plans for us are nothing short of awesome. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV). Believing this helps us deal with the times we make mistakes and suffer the negative consequences from them. When life tells us to expect the worst, God tells us just the opposite, and we can be comforted and encouraged.

One guarantee is that at some point, we’re going to miss the mark. This is inevitable, but we don’t have to be afraid of making mistakes. Just like Paul, we can continue moving forward without letting our past hold us back. “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:12-14, NLT).

God wants us to keep going. There will be times when we get bad news or things look grim; however, continuing to put one foot in front of the other can make the situation look completely different a few steps further. When it appears as if we’re stuck, God makes a way when there is no way. “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18, 19). He’s calling us out of our former bad circumstances into wonderful futures about to spring forth.

We don’t have to understand everything that happens; there are some things we’ll never be able to figure out. This is where trusting the Holy Spirit comes in. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6). He knows far more than we do. When we’re perplexed or puzzled, He’s our compass.

There’s a time for standing still and a time for moving forward. When Moses was leading the people through the wilderness, the message was to trust God and go forward. “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward” (Exodus 14:13-15). When we’re in our own wilderness, the message is the same.

For more on God’s plan for our lives and how the Holy Spirit leads us through both the high and low points, click on the link below for the three-CD series, Follow the Flow.