How to Steward God’s Plan When It’s Not What You Expected

By Jennifer McPherson

I don’t often teach about the deeper, messier side of prophetic calling. Honestly, I rarely talk about this at all. But the Lord has been stirring something in me, and when He won’t let a thing go, I know it’s because He is asking me to release it.

Anyone who has walked with God for any length of time knows this:
He will never ask you to teach what He hasn’t required you to walk through first.

And today’s message comes from one of the most painful yet transformative things He has ever taught me. It is the question that eventually burns in the soul of every prophetic person:

How do you steward the word of the Lord when the outcome God reveals is not the outcome you hoped for?

We talk a lot about prophetic obedience—
Obedience to deliver a hard word.
Obedience to speak truth in intimidating places.
Obedience to stand before leaders, pastors, politicians, and say what God has told you to say.

That type of obedience is real. It carries weight. It costs something.

But there is another kind of obedience that costs even more:

Obedience when God’s plan breaks your heart.

When Samuel’s Prophetic Picture Unfolded Differently

Let’s look at Samuel.

Samuel was not growing in accuracy. He wasn’t in training. Scripture says:

“None of his words fell to the ground.”
—1 Samuel 3:19

Every word Samuel delivered carried the weight of heaven’s authority.

So when Samuel anointed Saul as king, he did it at the direct instruction of the Lord.
No error.
No presumption.
No guesswork.

Samuel obeyed God perfectly—yet the picture still unfolded differently than he imagined. Saul disobeyed the Lord, and the kingdom was taken from him.

Here’s the part we often overlook:

Samuel grieved.

Not because he missed God.
Not because he misheard.
Not because he prophesied incorrectly.

He grieved because he had a picture in his heart of what Saul’s reign was supposed to look like.
He had invested hope, expectation, and emotional energy into that picture.

And now God was revealing something entirely different.

Has that ever happened to you?

When you believed you saw the outcome…
When you prayed into it…
When you prepared for it…
When you felt certain that this was the plan…

And then God revealed something else?

That is prophetic grief.
And yes—it is real.

The Hardest Question God Ever Asked a Prophet

The most jarring moment in Samuel’s story is God’s question:

“How long will you mourn for Saul?”
—1 Samuel 16:1

It sounds harsh until you understand:

This wasn’t a rebuke.
It was a reminder.

A reminder that while Samuel was grieving the picture he held in his heart…
he still had an assignment.

There was still a David to anoint.
Still oil to pour.
Still a nation to shepherd into its next chapter.

Prophets cannot pause the story because they’re hurting.
The assignment doesn’t stop because the picture changed.

God’s plan didn’t shift suddenly—
He simply revealed more of it.
And Samuel had to align with the new revelation.

Your Calling Isn’t Dependent on Agreement

This is where prophetic maturity forms:

You do not have to agree with God’s plan to obey it.

You don’t have to prefer it.
You don’t have to understand it.
You don’t even have to like it.

Your emotions do not have veto power over heaven’s agenda.

Obedience is easy when you enjoy the word.
Obedience is easy when the outcome matches your hope.
Obedience is easy when the picture aligns with your expectation.

But true obedience—
prophetic obedience—
is tested when the word costs you something.

Even Paul Had to Release His Picture

This isn’t just Samuel’s story.
It’s Paul’s too.

Before his encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road, Paul was convinced he was living the right picture. He was zealous, passionate, and absolutely certain.

But when God revealed the fuller picture, Paul had to let go of everything he thought he knew—his training, his religious framework, his imagined outcome.

God didn’t suddenly change His plan.
He revealed the parts Paul had never seen.

So if you’re in a season where God is unveiling a different dimension of His plan—
one that doesn’t look like what you prepared for—
you are in good company.

This is not a detour.
This is formation.

When God Asks You to Fill Your Horn With Oil Again

After asking Samuel how long he would mourn, God immediately said:

“Fill your horn with oil, and go.”

This is the moment every prophetic person faces:

Will you stay grieving the picture you created?
Or will you rise and carry the oil into the next chapter?

You cannot anoint David while holding onto Saul.
You cannot step into the new while mourning the old.
You cannot carry fresh oil while clinging to yesterday’s grief.

And here is the truth:

You are not permitted to remain where God has moved on.

A Word for the One Who Is Here Right Now

To the prophet who is reading this…
To the seer whose heart is aching…
To the intercessor who feels blindsided…
To the reformer who is still weeping over Saul while heaven is already speaking David’s name…

Hear the word of the Lord:

Gird up your loins.
Stand flat-footed.
Strengthen yourself in the Lord.
Lift your head.
Honor your yes.

You were not chosen for convenience.
You were chosen for courage.
You were chosen for faithfulness.
You were chosen because God can trust you to declare His heart—
even when the declaration breaks yours.

All things—
not just the beautiful things—
all things
work together for the good of those who love Him
and are called according to His purpose.

So rise, prophet of God.
There is still oil in your horn.
There is still an assignment before you.
There is still a word in your mouth.
There is still a David waiting in the field.

And heaven is waiting for you to stand up and go.