Meditation

Read Ecclesiastes 3:9-13

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.—Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

Earlier in my career as a speech-language pathologist, I received yearly contracts to work in a particular school district. One year, when July rolled around, I had no contract. Reluctantly, I took work at a nursing facility. I was deeply unsatisfied, but my wife told me repeatedly, “It’s only a season.”

In March of that year, my wife discovered a lump in her breast. Over the next 10 months, we went to dozens of doctor’s appointments and treatments. We prayed constantly. Eventually, my wife’s initial treatment was complete. She was cancer-free.

I missed only two of her medical appointments during those months. Working at the nursing facility made that possible because my schedule was flexible. Had I worked at the school, I wouldn’t have been able to be with my wife when she needed me most. I believe that by putting me in the nursing facility, the Lord was nurturing us long before we even realized we needed it. Sometimes when I don’t understand what God is doing, I think about that experience. I remember that God can use the pieces of my life to help me end up exactly where I need to be.

Prayer: O Lord, help us to remember that you are forever faithful, even when we can’t see the bigger picture. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thought for the day: Even when I don’t fully understand, I will trust God.

—R.G. Wood, Ohio