“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” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV).

As a young twenty-something, I had so much to look forward to. I was a newlywed, and just getting started in what looked to be a promising teaching career. Then, the unexpected happened. I was diagnosed with an incredibly painful chronic inflammatory condition, called Interstitial Cystitis. To hear at age twenty-four that I had an incurable condition, was devastating. To know I would likely have to battle pain the rest of my life was terrifying. Honestly, I was crushed by my prognosis and I wondered—God, how can this be a part of your plans to prosper me and not to harm me? Your plans to give me hope and a future?

The truth is, God did still had good plans for my future. I just had trouble seeing it clearly then in the midst of my health crisis. While I have continued to battle chronic illness and pain going on eighteen years now, God has allowed it to be an instrument of grace in my life—teaching me so much about His unfailing love and mercy. Living with chronic pain has helped me grow in grace and compassion for others as well. It’s given me wisdom beyond my years. While this health crisis wasn’t at all what I had hoped for in life, it has helped me grow exponentially in my relationship with the Lord!

What about you? Has your diagnosis left you perplexed, and your prognosis doubting God’s goodness? Have you been questioning God’s plans for your life in light of your present circumstances? Maybe, it’s not you battling your health, but rather someone near and dear to you, and it’s causing you a great deal of anxiety to watch them go through it. The truth is, while life can certainly throw us some crazy curveballs, if you are still alive and breathing, your story is not over yet. God has good plans for your future. His plans are to prosper you and not to harm you. This is true for your loved ones as well!

There is hope we can cling to in times of uncertainty. For me, that hope has a name. It’s Jesus Christ! If you have Jesus in your life, too, the good news for you is a disheartening diagnosis or prognosis doesn’t have to have the final say. Instead, you can let Jesus, who is the Word (John 1:1), have the final say: 

• When the test results come back positive, God Word says, “The Lord himself goes before you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8, NIV). 
• When the prognosis looks grim, God’s Word says, “With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation” (Psalms 91:16, NIV). 
• When the pain rages on, and the healing doesn’t come, God’s Word says, “Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering” . . . “and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4–5, NIV). 

Remember, in the midst of all that is threatening your health and your peace (or that of someone you love), God is working out His plan. Your life may not look anything like what you thought it was going to right about now, but God has not abandoned you. He is very much with you and for you! He sees the big picture, and just as He’s promised, He is working all things together for your good and His glory.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the good plans You have for me. In You, there is always a future and hope for me—even in the midst of painful circumstances. I look forward to seeing how You will use this trial in my life to not only bless me, but also to bless others through me. I will choose to praise Your Name in the midst of pain, and find peace in Your Presence! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.