The scene was set. The man who had raised Lazarus from the dead was entering Jerusalem on a donkey at Passover. The prophets had gone silent; the people had been waiting for 400 years for the Messiah who would set them free. The people came to see if this Jesus would throw off the oppressive rule of Rome and finally usher in a time of peace and prosperity for Israel. As Jesus enters the city the people begin to shout, “Hosanna!” which means “save now.” Is this divine insight into the true identity of Jesus as the Son of God or is this a demand shouted by a desperate people seeking an end to their suffering? Jesus did not save them the way they expected or on their timeline, but we can all relate to their mindset.

In the midst of suffering, it is easy to rely on our own understanding of what will be the best resolution to our pain. Yet we find ourselves frustrated in the waiting, and we are confused as to why God did not follow our plan. The people in the crowd were trying to write the story and did not realize they were being written into His story. In the moments of life when we believe we know the best way to make the pain stop, we can be confident that our loving God hears us and is working out all things for His glory and our good.

• Are you writing God into the story of your life or do you see yourself as a part of His story?