One of Those Days

 

Do you ever have one of those days where nothing seems to go to plan? What could go wrong, inevitably does. The jobs you thought would be simple, turn into insurmountable mountain climbing experiences. The small to do list turns into a 500-word essay, with many edits, add ons, retractions and not a whole lot of ‘done’ check marks.

Do you ever sigh and moan, “It’s just not my day”.

It’s on these days that we can begin to doubt that God really knows what He’s doing. We know He is in control, but we wonder if He really understands what we’re going through and how much we can really handle.

Does He truly understand the stress we’re facing? The anxiety, the pressures, the exhaustion, mentally and physically. Will He be able to help us hold our heads above the waves? Will He keep our feet from slipping?

I’m here to tell you that Yes, He will.  And yes, He does. It doesn’t matter what we’re facing, how hard the wind is blowing or how high the waves are, He knows all about it and He cares.

The Psalmist reminds us that our days are the days the Lord has made.

Psalm 118:24 KJV - This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

We may think it’s just not our day, but God has ordered it and who are we to go against him?

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 thought of what He would have us do, and He steps in and tweaks our day a little, so that we have to rely on Him and trust Him more than we have been.

He 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.

So called ‘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 and 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.

In the industry I work in, every day is unpredictable, full of twists and turns, and it doesn’t matter how much you plan, the plan always goes out the window and a new one has to be devised.

I sometimes wonder if God put me in this particular line of work to teach me patience! Something I struggle with. And possibly flexibility too. And resilience and perseverance and strength.

I don’t really get to order my day like I did when I was home every day. I have my day planned for me and then, things get turned upside down and I have to reshuffle, shift gears, readjust my thoughts and head off in a different direction.

Often my days are so full that I feel I’ve become one of those slider puzzles where you only have one spare space and limited moves. I’m finding that sometimes God has to throw some pieces out and put some others in, in order to make room for His move, in His direction, according to His perfect will.

It’s so hard sometimes to stop resisting God’s plans and simply submit. Surrender. Relinquish control. I find myself getting frustrated with God and impatient. I want rest. I want quiet. I want organized structure. I want the rush to slow down and yet, God sees fit to order my days and fill them with so many unknowns.  

I’m learning that despite the chaos and everchanging minutes of my days, God is still in control. And although I may not understand his ways, I do know 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.

If I can’t see what God is doing and why he’s doing it, I know I can trust in his perfect character. I can count on his unchanging nature.

Now, I’m not writing this because I have arrived. Oh no! Far from it. I still have my 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, and the more I study his Word, 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 surrender more.

Yes, the days are still hard and often I resist the changes God makes, but from what I know of God, I can rest assured he has a plan and often he is keeping me safe from some unseen calamity or simply trying to do a purifying work in my life by sending trials. He longs for me to be more like him. He wants to draw me close and cleanse out the impurities, so that I can come forth as gold.

Job 23:10 KJV - But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Can I remind you that there are going to be days where you feel beaten down, trodden under, pulled in every direction? 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.

Let go of the reins, and let God take control. Stop resisting and start surrendering. 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.

You may fall into bed exhausted after a long and tiresome day, but if you have made an effort to go with God’s flow, not trying to swim upstream, against his current, fighting the waves, you can be comforted in knowing that he has had your best interest at heart all the day long and has kept you from things you knew nothing about, and given you opportunities you wouldn’t have had, had you not surrendered his will.

Choose to remember his goodness. Choose to remember your past victories. Choose to remember you have a hope and a future that is sure.

God is still good even in the midst of your doubts.

Psalm 77:11 KJV - I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.