We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

— Proverbs 16:9

We make our plans, but God always will have His way. There is nothing wrong with making a plan for tomorrow or next month or next year. But just keep in mind that God may change your plans. He is in control of your life. We are told in Jeremiah 10:23, "I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course." We call this divine providence.

Having said that, it does not mean that bad things will not happen to good—even godly—people. But it does mean that even when bad things happen, God can bring good out of bad. Romans 8:28 reminds us, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

However, the good that God promises will not be fully realized until we get to heaven. We can look at some things in our lives and say, "That was bad, but in retrospect I can see the good that has come from it." Then there are other things we will experience in which we never will see the good, at least, as far as we can see. In fact, it will not be until we get to the other side and see God face-to-face that we will understand these things.

Meanwhile, we must realize that God loves us and is always looking out for our eternal benefit, with emphasis on the word "eternal." What we sometimes perceive as good could be potentially bad, and what we sometimes perceive as bad could be potentially good.

And sometimes what we think of as bad today may ultimately be good, because it changes who we are and makes us more like Jesus.