Thrive: Discovering Joy in the Trenches of Military LifeSample

God’s Grand Design

Written by: Jessica Parker

I never envisioned myself as a military wife. I had plans to stay put in my small hometown. I met my husband when we were both in college and knew from the start that God was leading him to join the Army. After we had been married for four years, we moved eighteen hours away from family and everything we had ever known to the middle (of what seemed like) nowhere.

Around the time we moved, we were also struggling with infertility. I spent two years questioning why we were so far from family and why we were going through such a literal barren time.

But God had prepared a place for us there. He provided us with a wonderful home, a beautiful church community, and many amazing friendships. I joined a local Bible study, and God used that study to draw me closer to Him. It was the first time in my life that I had a daily prayer life. God used that time to teach me to pray and show me that with Him, I could not only survive but thrive in a place I was uncomfortable with. Those years transformed my relationship with God and set the foundation for the continual growth I have seen today.

I can now see God's hand in every aspect of that move. In the same way, I love reading and seeing God's sovereignty and power throughout the book of Esther. Esther's story exemplifies God's divine guidance and care over our lives. Esther's circumstances may have seemed coincidental; however, they were part of God's grand design. Esther found herself in an unexpected place, wondering why God had uprooted her and placed her there. However, God, again, did the miraculous and saved the Israelites through Esther.

I am sure she was just as confused about her circumstances and God's plan as I was. But she and I (and YOU) were made "for such a time as this." Although we may question circumstances in our lives, we must have faith that God is in control, working through both the pleasant and difficult times so that we can serve Him wholeheartedly.

Once we got settled after our move, I started a new job that, through a series of events, led me to a fertility specialist who helped us get pregnant with our first child. It would be easy to say that those events were merely coincidence, but I know God had it all planned before we knew we were moving.

God is always at work. God has been working quietly and patiently throughout your life as well. The events that have come together for good are not mere coincidence; they result from Jesus's sovereign control throughout your life.

Where you are is not a coincidence. I believe God has a grand design for us all.

How do you discover joy in the trenches of military life?

Look for God's hand at work in your life, and trust that God will be faithful to complete His good work in and through you.