What if your upset plans 

are part of God’s plans?

 

Sometimes I’m sure the Lord has a sense of humour. He looks down at us, running around like busy little ants, merrily planning our days activities, possibly without any thought of what He would have us do, and He steps in and throws a spanner in the works, totally upending all our plans and turning them on their heads. He wants to change our perspective just a bit, so that we have to rely on Him and trust Him more than we have been.

It's amazing what a change in focus does for our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual state. If the upset plans force us to focus on him, he will give us the strength to bear it.

He gently, or sometimes not so gently reminds us that He is in control and that although we feel that we can’t handle the chaos that swirls around us, He is the peace in the midst of the storm. He is who we need to cling to when we’re overwhelmed.

Psalm 61:2 - From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Bad days have a way of reminding us of what is important in life. We tend to think that our nicely laid plans that we have jotted down in bullet point form in our daily diaries, the alerts and reminders on our phones are just the way our day should go. But this is where we’re wrong! Yes, it’s great to set goals and we should. But let’s not be so determined to achieve them that we forget who is in control. Heads up – it’s not you!

There’s a word I want to remind you of. Surrender. Yes, only 9 little letters, but put them together and they hold great significance.

Surrender means to stop resisting and submit. It means to give up or hand over. It means to relinquish possession or control of something, and to give up in favour of another.

Do you see where I’m going with this? We have to learn to surrender our strategy, our plans, even our goals to the Lord. Instead of planning out our day then praying our plan to the Lord, we need to pray that He will show us His plan and that we will learn to be content with exactly how He orders our day.

Before you open that diary or that calendar on your phone, close your eyes! Sit before the Lord, pray about what He would have you put into your day. Rest in who He is and His faithfulness.

I’m finding that I need to leave a lot more room in my day for the Lord to reshuffle. If my days plans are so cluttered that there is no room for more, I’m going to end up disappointed. Because not only does it become like one of those slider puzzles where you only have one spare space and limited moves, but God sometimes has to throw some pieces out to make room for His move.

We have to stop resisting. We have to submit. Like I’ve said before, it’s a lot more comfortable to come to God with our plans in open hands then for Him to have to pry them out of our tightly closed fists.

We need to surrender, and we need to trust. By trusting God, we begin to relax and wait on Him in faith, knowing that His ways are perfect.

Psalm 18:30 - As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

Isaiah 55:9 - For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I love the words to this beautiful song, based on this verse in Isaiah, that reminds me that God is in control and his plans are so much higher than mine.

It's not what I prayed for
It's not what I wanted
It's not something I understand
My circumstances seem so confusing
I'm placing it all in Your hands

 

Your ways are higher than mine
I want mountains to move
You want me to climb
So I'm gonna trust Your work, Your will, and Your time
Your ways are higher than mine

 

One day I'm sure
I will look back and marvel
At how You knew best all along
You see from Heaven
You know it's the hard times
That make my face steady and strong

 

Your ways are higher than mine
I want mountains to move
You want me to climb
So I'm gonna trust Your work, Your will, and Your time
Your ways are higher than mine                    R.M.

 

Now, I’m not writing this post to boast because I have arrived. Oh no! Far from it. I often have days where I’m dissatisfied with God’s order and I pout and stomp my foot in a childish tantrum, hoping that He’ll change His mind and do things my way. But the older I get, the more I learn about God, and the closer my walk is with Him, the more I feel I can surrender to His will and His way. I trust more. I love more. I rest more. I rely more. I surrender more.

There are going to be days where you feel beaten down, trodden under, pulled in every direction. There will be days where all your plans go awry, and you want to throw up your hands in despair and just give up. But it’s on these days that you need to trust God more and cling desperately to Him, resting in His arms and relying on His strength to get you through.

He really does know what lies ahead and he is the best one to be organizing your day.

Our lives are so full and so busy but remember that the speed at which we travel is not as important as who is in control of our travel.

Let go of the reins, and let God take control. You will never be able to experience real peace until you fully surrender to His will.

Only then will a calm descend upon your soul. A peace that you know could only come from God. You’ll be able to take a deep breath and sink into His everlasting arms, content in knowing that He will do what is best for you and He will give you the strength you need for whatever your day brings.

Listen for his voice. Let him order your days. Obey him. Wait on him. And he will guide you.

Isaiah 30:21 KJV - And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.