What is God’s Plan and purpose for me?
Why doesn’t God answer my prayers? Has He abandoned me?
Why does God allow us to suffer from pain and evil?
Sound familiar? Undoubtedly each of us has asked one or more of these questions at some point. Maybe you’re having difficulty with some or all even now. Have no fear, you’re not alone; we’re all in the same boat.
Fortunately, God does indeed have a plan for everything and everyone – including you. It may be difficult to see that at any given moment but He definitely has one. How do we know? We can start by looking in The Bible:
Proverbs 3:5-6 says: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
God’s Plan For Us Is Often Difficult To Comprehend
How can we possibly expect to fully understand God’s Plan for us because that plan also fits into His plan for others, for all creatures and for everything in the universe. Our perspective is very limited; it’s typically most focused on our own life and the lives of those immediately around us. There’s no way we can comprehend God’s Plan for everyone and everything in the universe across all time past, present and future.
The biblical book of Job does an excellent job of making this point. Even as we question God when we see evil, pain and suffering in the world we must realize that our limited perspective of time and space makes it impossible to see how these things fit into His overall plan for the whole universe.
The key point here is this: We must have faith and take comfort that God is acting according to His plan for the universe and that plan will end up good one way or another.
Perhaps That’s Asking A Lot
Perhaps it’s difficult to have faith in God when your prayers go unanswered. Perhaps trusting that God’s Plan is good seems like a stretch when we see so much evil, pain and suffering in the world.
Okay, fair enough. Perhaps we need some help bridging the gap during times of doubt. Perhaps we need support seeking peace and comfort when we’re anxious about the state of our society.
One suggestion is to stop and take a closer look at God’s Plan for you. To visualize in your head and through artwork how God might see your life, it’s connections with others, the impacts various events have on you and how His plan for you fits into His broader plan for others – to help you better understand your purpose.
If this sounds interesting or helpful then you’re in the right place. The intent of this website is to help each of us understand God’s purpose and plan for us.
Outline
As you read thru the material presented on this site, you will see:
- Explanations for the existence of evil, pain and suffering
- Brilliant wisdom found in the book of Job that helps us understand God’s perspective and our own limitations
- Examples of good arising from God’s Plans for us – even in the face of tragedy
- An insightful analogy for how God might view your life and His plan for you inspired by C. S. Lewis
- Examples of artwork that might help you to visualize the analogy of God’s Plan for you
If you’re an artist, there’s also an opportunity for you to participate if the spirit moves you.
How To Read This Site
You should read the material on this site in this order:
- First, read the 4 articles on dealing with evil, pain and suffering
- Then read the 4 articles on God’s Plan
- Finally, if you’re artistic, consider the request for artwork to help us visualize God’s Plan
These sections are represented in the menu at the top so you can jump around if you’re so inclined. Also, many pages have accompanying insightful videos. Be sure to watch them – they’re quite good. Finally, most pages have summaries at the bottom. If you’re time constrained, you can just read those but keep in mind they’re just summaries – you might miss some of the important context if you don’t read the full articles and watch the videos.
The full set of content here will take you less than an hour to peruse. 30 minutes if you’re a fast reader. But don’t feel obligated to rush. You can always bookmark the page and come back to it.
Start Here With The First Article In "Dealing With Evil, Pain And Suffering"
Or, Jump Straight To "God's Plan For You" Starting Here
Please add a comment below or elsewhere but please be polite and constructive. Positive/constructive humor is also appreciated as long as it’s clearly humorous. No trolly humor or other such comments – those gets old and boring.
Kenneth Gray
Hello,
I have lost all hope in God as pertains to this life, and have doubts about my salvation. I gave myself to God through Jesus over 43 years ago. In that long amount of time God has never once been here for me. 43+ years of nothing but silence, absence, broken promises, and unanswered prayers. God’s lack of involvement/interaction has destroyed my hope in Him. We are supposed to love God with all our heart. The problem is that God has ripped my heart out. No heart left. There can’t be hope when God does nothing. I have been told that God has saved my life on more than one occasion. That isn’t a blessing. I don’t have anything to live for. Nothing that makes life worth living. Life isn’t a blessing when God is never here, or does nothing. How am I supposed to believe in God’s promise of salvation when He breaks so many of His promises? If God is always present, why have I never experienced anything that would prove He is present? I could accept this miserable poverty stricken life if God would either do something or make His presence actually known. God’s silence, absence, broken promises and never having a prayer answered is torture. I need God to stop neglecting me.
God bless you through the Holy Spirit, in Jesus holy name, Amen.
Jimmy Nkhoma
Dear God, I know that you can hear me. Look into my heart and see how much broken I am. It seems like you’re angry with me so all I’m asking is please forgive me, rebuild me, and give me back everything the devil has stolen from me. My life is no longer the same. Day and night my wife and I can’t stop talking about your wonderful relationship with us. You have been there for us all this time long. Why only now, make my journey of going to America be a testimony to many and I know that sooner or later you will come to our rescue. In Hebrew 11:1 you spoke about faith and that’s the only thing we have even though we are now a laughing stock to many. We will always keep our Faith and trust in you completely.😭😭😭😭😭
Bee
Oh I feel like God is so far from me. I lost everything, even the job I got, but my faith is still strong because I trust that God will change my life and give me a different story to tell. All I need right now is for him to show up in my life so that I can pay all my debts and be free from the burden I am having right now. God I need you with all of my heart, I need you to show up in my life. Why are you so quiet when I need you?
The shame and humiliations I have been through, God please show up for me. 😭😭 It’s so hard, I pray but I feel like you can’t hear my prayers 😣
Lungile Precious Gabela
Kindly please pray for my son and his Father, for God to rebuild their relationship and for the evil in their home for God to remove it. I pray to God to restore their faith. My son’s stepmother is destroying the family, making the father to fight with the son all the time. There’s no peace at home. She’s using evil spells to destroy them. Please pray for them
Aldi
My heart broke when I read the comments above. I am a Certified Life Coach and have not been out there enough for people to contact me for help. After reading your comments, I know that God is prompting me to get my business up and running ASAP to be able to help those who are disheartened. My prayer is that you all will have an intimate relationship with God for He loves each one of you dearly. Please keep praying according to God’s will. Do not give up. He will come through for you. Believe it.
Mamello Kotwana
I love the Lord, I know he is good. I know the nature and character of my father, I know his word won’t return void and he is no man that he can lie. I believe his words in Deutronomy 28 about his blessing, Roman 8:28 that his working it all out for my good and Jeremiah 29:11 about his good plans to prosper me. There many more in the Bible, however with all that said there is the reality I am faced with daily. I cannot pay my children’s school fees and they didn’t get their reports because I owe money. I am unemployed and have exhausted all the help I can get from people. I am trusting God for a financial breakthrough. It’s been 6 months and counting and I don’t know where else to run. He is my redeemer who lives so if he doesn’t come through for me now I don’t know what else to do. I can’t bear the pain of failing my children. I am a breadwinner and everyone is looking to me and a I am looking to God. He is so quiet. I even play lotto hoping for a miracle that is how desperate I am. I only have this week to pay my children’s fees otherwise they won’t know if they passed or not. My bond is also in arrears. I just wish for a miracle. Lord please hear my hearts cry.
Administrator
Please join me in praying for Mamello.
Chipiliro Kachingwe
I always trust in God all my life through Jesus Christ
Bee
I feel lost, unwanted and hated by God. I work so hard everyday but things are just not penning out. I am grateful for my family, especially my parents – may the Lord continue to bless them and guide them in everything they do. I mostly feel outcasted because God only hates me and my entire family and I understand why because I’m a really bad person. I love God and I want a personal relationship with him but he totally just ignores me. 💔 Please help, I dont want to kill myself 😭
Administrator
Bee,
God does not hate you! And, you are not a bad person! Sure, maybe you’ve done some regretable things. Everyone has. But God will forgive you and He very much wants to have a personal relationship with you. He does not want you to kill yourself! That won’t solve anything and it won’t allow Him to draw closer to you.
If you are still watching for responses here and you’re willing, please post again, this time sharing your email address so we can continue this conversation. Perhaps I can help in some way. Your email address won’t get displayed to others. In fact, your post won’t either unless you want me to display it. Please share more of your story. Why do you think God hates you?
Ann
Lord, please guide me, help me in making decisions in my life, help me to see what is good for me, help to figure out things. I’m scared of hurting other people with my choices. Please help get back my life from before, help me put myself back. I need you to guide me and show me the right way. I’m so lost. I know I have made many mistakes and sin. Please forgive me. Please help me.
I submit my life in your hands. Please lord I’m so down. Help me get up on my feet again. iloveyou JESUS
Naomi
I always pray to God to remove the curse in our family due to financial problems, no progress in my life, and people who plan to destroy my work – to break the chain. I keep on praying and believing that one day God will answer me.
Kenneth Gray
Hello,
On the topic of whether God causes suffering or not.
God most certainly does cause suffering in our lives. I suffer daily in God’s silence. When you need to hear from God and only silence in return is painful. I suffer daily in God’s absence. 42+ years of God not being here for me is painful. Never having a prayer answered is painful, thus suffering. Culpability means if you have the ability to stop something and don’t then you are just as responsible as the perpetrators. That said, I would then have to conclude that since God is capable of stopping the suffering but doesn’t then He is just as responsible for the suffering. Or doesn’t culpability apply to God.
Thanks and God bless you, in Jesus holy name, Amen.
Socrates
After hearing that “God has a wonderful plan for life” and becoming a Christian I now face a lifetime of chronic pain which is like living in hell. Is living in hell God’s wonderful plan. Why would God even create someone just so that they can live in pain. It makes no sense. What purpose could there be in such a thing. Prayers go unanswered. And when you ask for bread all you get is a stone or if you ask for a fish you get a snake. Chronic pain crowds out everything – prayer, hope, friends, thoughts on God, peace, and certainly any idea of a wonderful plan for your life.
Mike
As a single man that was really very much hoping to meet a good woman to settle down with, which still hasn’t happened yet unfortunately. I feel as though God is punishing me and wants me to stay single and alone, and i just don’t understand why he would do this to me when it is normal to be married with a family to begin with. God is very evil and rotten to many of us single men for some unknown reason since i know other single friends that feel the very same way as well. Then again, had God created women like the past when most of them were really normal at that time which really would’ve made a complete difference too. Today Feminism has made them very pathetic and sad altogether, especially the ones that are very rude when many of us single men will try to start a conversation with them. And there will be times for no reason at all when they will Curse at us when we will just say good morning or hello to them. What is that all about? Very mentally sick women everywhere nowadays unfortunately.
Editor
Hey Mike,
Thank you so much for sharing your pain and your story. It likely took some courage to do that so I wanted to respond and perhaps try to help – I’m hopeful God will communicate through me here with His guidance and wisdom. Your story is a sad one but, as you note, you’re not alone. We all have pain in our lives despite the veneer/mask we exhibit to others. Loneliness is one of the most acute. Please don’t blame others for that pain and please try to avoid bitterness in your heart. Neither of those things is helpful for you. Instead, try to focus on the blessings God has provided – friends, family, a job that gives you purpose, a roof over your head, food on the table, the wonders of the world around you. Perhaps at least one/some of those things gives you joy in your heart if you think about it. Speaking of the heart, I heard a cliché – “a change of heart changes everything.” Reflect on that as a way of perhaps helping heal your pain and loneliness.
Regarding God’s plan for love in your life, I certainly don’t have all the answers but He does. Pray to God. Thank Him for the blessings He’s already granted in your life. Ask Him to heal your heart. Seek His guidance for what He wants from you in your life. Listen intently to how He responds. Obey what He tells you to do and have the courage to see it through. Generally, the message I get from God is “be patient” so you may have to wait for Him to act. And He may not do so the way you want. In fact, He may take you way out of your comfort zone. Keep in mind it’s His plan for you, not necessarily your plan. One way or the other, He will respond. It’s up to you to listen and obey. It’s even conceivable He’s already trying to tell you something that might differ from your wants and expectations. Reflect on this as well and see if God is already trying to lead you.
This response is already too long. Please feel free to reach out directly at nooneofconsequence@thesearchforgodsplan.org.
Josh
This is a nice thought, but I can state with certainty that I have no purpose. Many of us are just waiting to die, the sooner the better. There is no plan that I am a part of. All Ive done in my 39 years is embarrass myself and fail at everything. Im retired on disability, a drain on society, and I rarely leave my home. If it wouldnt hurt my parents, Id happily end my life this moment.
Faith Ngwenya
I’m 19 years old and I’m suffering from depression and anxiety.
Everyday is a struggle for me but I know that God’s got a plan for my pain to help someone out there with the same struggles as me.
Sometimes is hard to wait patiently on him because the pain gets so unbearable.
But that doesn’t make me back down from waiting on him.
I have seen God in my pain.
When I wanted to end it all three times this year but Jesus covered me with his peace – that has showed me that God has a plan for me.
My pain and suffering has a purpose.
Thank you for the articles they have helped me.
Thank you Jesus !!!
Jonathan
Please pray for me
Teresa
I too, feel that, there is no God. I have given my life to him at the age of 14. Sadly, however, I have gone astray from him since that time. I have tried coming back to him a few times, but….. nothing seems to change in my life. Am I totally, lost without him? I feel, as if I am…… I don’t want to be. I want to come back to him. I have four sons, who needs him just as much as I do. I have occasionally, read the Bible. I have 3 different versions of it. They are as follows: King James, New King James, and the New International Version of the Bible. Which one do I read? I’m a bit confused about all of this. I have been to several churches throughout my life. I am in need of going back to one, but not sure, as to which ones to go to. I have been to a Baptist and a Pentecostal churches mostly, a.ka. Assembly of God. I want to get back into going to church, but at the moment, where I work at, I am working, six days a week. One of those weekends, is on a Sunday. Therefore, I cannot get back into the habit of going to church anymore. I feel the need to be around other people that can help me, and encourage me, and to lift me up when I am down. Please……… pray for me and my sons, and tell me what I must do….. Thank you for reading this message.
Guest
God is very mean and nasty altogether for not giving a good single man like me a good wife and family to share my life with.
Richard
I’m beginning to wonder if there is a God. Since the age of 19 I lost my foot in an accident, been married for nearly 30 years – nothing but hardship – had a business and lost it, I now have nothing. So what is God’s plan for me, help me understand, you can email me a response.
Editor
Richard,
Thank you for sharing your pain. I will respond separately but perhaps others will chime in with their thoughts and encouragement.
Praise
My family and I have been suffering for a long time; we’ve been praying every day together as a family but God is always silent. We’ve suffered a lot at the hands of family members. Pray and begging so that God could hear us. I do believe in God but His silence makes me doubt His love for us.
Jen
Sometimes when i pray for answers to a question i have asked the holy spirit about i don’t get answers and sometime he gives me scripture like today – proverb 3v7, just 3 words “depart from evil”. So i keep looking; what does evil mean? Sometimes evil doesn’t mean from “the world”. It means to validate our own lives to see what we doing wrong and how we see things differently because we might see not them in line with how God sees them. That is why he said not to lean on our own understanding put to lean on him and his wisdom.
Ronald
I keep asking, why God allows pain and suffering.
Why there are people who were born rich, beautiful, & lucky, telling themselves that they were so blessed by God.
On the other end, people were born poor with so much pain and sufferings. Life is so unfair.
Whenever i’m depressed about my problems i pray, i beg, i cry to God to help me, but God is silent.
Everyday i wake up and depression welcomes me… 🙁
I guess, I just need to endure and be strong for my family.
I told myself to just keep praying and maybe one day, God will hear my prayers… 🙁
Kenneth Gray
How can I know God’s plan for me when my whole life has been lived in God’s absence and silence. An endless season of absence and silence. Scripture is just words on paper without God’s presence as guide.I have never felt, seen, or heard anything from God. All I have is a gigantic hole in my heart and soul where God is supposed to be. No amount of prayer or begging moves God enough to be involved in my life. I desperately need God to be directly involved in this life. Thanks and may God Bless You, in Jesus name, Amen
Samantha Kathleen Geronimo
thank you so much .. i have learned many things.
Luche
WOW I have anxiety and this helped me soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much
Georgia De La Cruz
I would like to share articles from your website to my friends In messenger will you allow it?
Editor
Georgia, thanks for that. Yes, for sure you can share this website with your friends via social media. There are Facebook and Twitter buttons in the footer at the bottom of each page to simplify that. Or you can just cut and paste the page URL from the top of your browser. Thank you for sharing this content and God bless you!