20 Bible Verses About Trusting God’s Plan in Life’s Detours

Our daughter, Bekah, was born on a clear November evening.  As we celebrate her birthday this month, I reflect on her life.  I also remember the long months leading up to her birth, months that taught me what it means to navigate detours in life.  Today, we’ll explore 20 Bible verses about trusting God’s plan when life seems to take a detour.

First, I share the story of the detour that seemed to derail my life before Bekah’s birth.  Then, we’ll look at 20 Bible verses about trusting God’s plan in life’s detours.

Bible Verses About Trusting God’s Plan

Before experiencing my first pregnancy, I planned to continue teaching high school students in my Life Skills classroom right up to my due date.

My husband and I planned to vacation in the summer.

I imagined that I would continue mentoring teens throughout the pregnancy.  I was sure I’d be able to keep running five miles a day until at least the seven-month mark.

None of that happened.

Navigating Detours in Life

Much to my surprise, shortly after we discovered that we were expecting, I was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG).  HG is a severe pregnancy sickness that mirrors the worst case of the flu.

I often spent entire nights hunched over the toilet.  My body felt as if it had been poisoned.  For days, I was housebound and too ill to cook or even read.  My head spun and ached.  At times, I prayed for God to call me home to heaven.

Amid the illness, my life came to a halt.  So much for running, mentoring, and teaching.  It all had to stop.

It was a crushing detour.

What do we do when life takes an alternate route?

What happens when all of our best-made plans are suddenly stripped away?

Looking back, I’ve realized that often, what I thought was a detour was actually the destination God had ordained for my good.   He used the illness in many ways (read more here).  I also learned a few insights about detours in life.

If you’re facing a detour, here are a few encouraging words for you as well.

Detours in life offer lessons we cannot learn elsewhere.

For me, the months of hyperemesis were a powerful tool that taught me countless lessons.

Throughout those months, I learned that my worth is not at all related to what I can produce or whose life I can make an impact upon.

I learned that God loves me relentlessly even when I’m too sick to engage in any sort of spiritual discipline.

The sickness taught me that it’s okay to need other people.  I learned that if all I had left in this life were Jesus, he would be enough.  It wouldn’t be easy.  But I’d make it.

Detours in life remind us of God’s goodness.

Toward the end of the pregnancy, I made a list of 102 things I learned through the sickness.

One of the greatest lessons was that God is always good.  He used the sickness to draw me deeper into his love and tend to my heart.  He revealed his care and character to me.

In his goodness, God used the difficult time to show me that as much as I crave control in my life, he is truly in control.  Furthermore, I can trust him.

The experience reminds me that life often seems to move in the opposite direction of what I had planned or hoped. Sickness comes, sickness more serious than hyperemesis.

Dreams are crushed.

Plans are shattered.

But God is still good.  We only learn this lesson through situations in which we find ourselves questioning his goodness.  When we can make it to the other side of life’s valleys and attest that God is good, we have grown in spiritual maturity.  This is part of the blessing of life’s detours.

Detours in life often turn out to be God’s destinations.

Sometimes, I fully believe God has called me to climb to the top of a certain mountain in pursuit of a goal or dream.  I do everything I can to reach the summit.

When an unforeseen valley springs up, I begin to wonder where God went.  Maybe I heard him wrong?

God has taught me that when this happens, the issue is rarely an issue of mistaking his voice.  Instead, he often shows me a mountain to nudge me to move in a certain direction.

The valley is not a surprise to him.  Instead, it is a necessary part of the journey, a part of the journey he ordained for me because he wanted to teach me something in the valley.

I thought the valley was a detour.  God knew the valley was actually my destination.

~~~

If you are facing what feels like a detour in your life, pause to acknowledge the God who carves out the paths before you.  Ask him to reveal what he wants you to know amidst this detour.

Thank him for closing off the wrong paths, and thank him that this detour might actually be the destination he has in mind to shape you to his image and usher you into the abundant life you crave.

If you are facing what feels like a detour in your life, pause to acknowledge the God who carves out the paths before you. #detoursinlife #interruptions #Godisincontrol Share on X

And now, let’s spend some time exploring 20 Bible verses about trusting God’s plan.

20 Bible Verses About Trusting God’s Plan

1. Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

These words were a promise to God’s people during the Babylonian captivity, and they are a promise to his children today as well.

God’s plans for his children are good.  We can trust that he wants the best for our lives.  He fights for us.

2. Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

You can trust God’s plan because God is with you, and he will uphold you and give you strength.

3. Psalm 23:4

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

This verse reminds us that even in the darkest valleys, God is with us.

He comforts us and protects us.  Nothing reaches us without passing through him first.

4. Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

Rather than embracing anxious thoughts, God calls us to pray.  When we do, his peace guards our hearts and minds.

Worrying creates the illusion of controlling life’s challenging situations; prayer actually makes an impact.

5. Proverbs 16:9

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

God wants to establish our steps.

Our role is to look to him and do our best to obey him.

6. 1 Peter 5:7

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 

In difficult times, God calls us to cast our anxieties and fears on him.  Too often, I ruminate over fears and worries.  Imagine how different our lives would be if we learned to cast our cares on him immediately!

7. Matthew 6:34

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 

Much of what we worry about never ends up happening.  May we remember this as we aim to live present to our daily moments, not worrying about the future.

8. Isaiah 40:31

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Keep looking to God.

Wait on the Lord, and he will give you strength.

9. Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

God’s timing is always perfect.  His ways are not our ways, but he will never abandon his children.  He also promises to finish what he starts (see Phil. 4:6).

Ask God to give you courage as you wait for him to lead you out of this difficult situation.

In the meantime, he will show you how to be strong and keep working while you wait.

10. Psalm 37:5

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”

We are all called to commit our lives to the Lord.  When we do so, he will direct our steps.

11. Ecclesiastes 3:1

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

We can trust that when we seek God with our whole hearts, aiming to walk in his ways, he will deliver us at the right time.

12. Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Years ago, an older woman encouraged me by telling me that she often experienced the greatest breakthroughs in her life just after renewing her commitment not to give up.  She said that when she felt most tempted to give up, she turned to God and asked for direction.  If she sensed him asking her to press forward, she obeyed.

She often experienced great breakthroughs shortly after obeying.

This reminds me that when I’m most tempted to walk away from an endeavor, I should seek God.  If I sense him leading me to stay the course, I, too, often experience fruit on the other side of obedience.

13. 2 Peter 3:8

14. Lamentations 3:25-26

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

When we faithfully seek God, he rewards us with blessings.  God is good to those who respond to his pursuit and seek his face.

If you feel weary from waiting on God, commit to continuing to turn toward him.  Keep reading your Bible, gathering with others to worship, praying, and pursuing him.  This is how we wait quietly for his deliverance.

15. Luke 18:27

But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Never forget that what feels impossible to us is possible with God.  No situation is too far beyond his ability to intervene.  No dream is too great.  We cannot make requests that are beyond his capability.

Our role is to align our hearts with his heart.  The more we seek him, the more our desires also begin to align with his desires.  When this happens, God moves mountains because our prayers align with his will for us.

16. Matthew 6:25

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

This verse reminds us that God cares for us.  He wants to meet our needs.  Instead of worrying about his provision, he invites us to lift our eyes to him and wait for him to provide for us.

17. Matthew 6:34

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Jesus reminds us to keep our eyes fixed on today.  We can plan for the future, but worrying about it takes away our peace.

Have you been worried about something that has not yet happened?

Remind yourself that much of what we worry about never takes place.  Furthermore, even if your worst-case scenario becomes reality, God will carry you through it.  This leads to our next verse.

18. 2 Timothy 1:7

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Are you worried about an endeavor that feels intimidating?

Remind yourself that the spirit of fear is not from God.  Instead, God gives us the spirit of love, power, and self-discipline.  Don’t listen to the voice of fear.

19. Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

God is working even when we cannot see his hand at work.

He is inviting you to new levels of faith.  Will you trust that he is working in unseen places?  If so, your faith will grow.  God will also help you rise above your greatest worries.

20. Psalm 121:1-2

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 

Instead of gazing at your worries, fix your eyes on Jesus.  Tell him about your worries and ask him to help you surrender these cares into his hands.  He promises to lift your burdens for you.

You might need to surrender these burdens dozens, or even hundreds of times.  That’s okay.  Every time you feel worries arise within you, surrender them to Jesus again.

If these Bible verses about trusting God’s plan encouraged you, I invite you to explore our devotional books and free devotional eBook library below.  Be blessed as you respond to God’s pursuit!

Read here for 20 Bible verses about trusting God's plan when facing life's detours. Share on X

Calling All Parents and Grandparents!

As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God.  Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision.  They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love.  You can find all three books here or read more below.

Calling All Boy Moms (and Dads)!

God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom.  Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world.  I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven!  You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord.  Find this life-changing devotional book here.

Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter

Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion.  I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven.  Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.

Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20.  It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing.  This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start.  Bekah and I will help you right here.

Find Our Family Devotionals Here

Find all three books right here.  They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial!  These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them.  Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.

Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing

God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone.  Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life.  Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here.  (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!

A Free Devotional to Help You Connect With God

If these Bible verses about trusting God’s plan were helpful, I have a gift for you.  God is a good Father, and he wants us to experience his healing, deliverance, and replenishment.  Most of us have learned that we cannot heal, deliver, or refresh ourselves; we need God to do this work within us.  I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment.  Find it for free here.