Friday Fight 140: Surrender in our Surrender

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF140.

What comes to mind when we think about our life plans? We are either smiling or instantly tired just thinking about our future pursuits. Our desire to accomplish things can range from intentions with our finances, vacations, educational gains, and other things. The point is, when we think about what we intend for our future, it can vary in importance, from our spiritual journey to buying our next vehicle. So, what happens when our dreams change, and how do these changes influence our walk with God?

Surrender in our Surrender:

Most of us can look over our lives and see plans we thought would unfold but did so much differently than we imagined. We pray about our plans and surrender our lives to God, yet our lives unexpectedly shift, along with our plans; now what? Proverbs 16:9 says, "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." What we see as a result may look like we veered onto another path. When plans alter, how are we reacting?

Look at planning from the perspective of who orchestrates the plan itself: God, us, or someone else. For example, imagine scheduling all the details for a tropical family vacation or even a milestone birthday dinner. Visualize the disappointment when discovering air conditioning was listed under luxuries and not necessities. Now, picture the parking for the birthday dinner costing almost as much as the dinner itself—our perfect imagery is a bit off-balanced. Too often, we direct our frustration toward the planner, much like blaming God, when our plan lacks the picture we imagined. God does not cause our pain; He turns things around to bring glory and healing to lift the pain we endure.

The definition of the word plan is an intention or decision about what we are going to do, implying future tense. Since we have no control over the coming days, there lies the problem. A great way to posture our mindset with any significant life plans is not only to surrender but to surrender in our surrender. Once we examine the concept closer, it seems less silly. We may feel as though we offer our future to God until our life is heading in a direction we never imagined. Suddenly, clouds of frustration move in, and we can't see clearly. Our once-blue skies are filled with storms of doubt as we react to things that are seemingly falling apart. When God's plan does not match our schedule, we can frustratingly blame Him or welcome the opportunity to surrender in our surrender. Doing so means giving every intent to God and believing He knows what is best for our lives. Our gift of free will allows us to decide where to place our focus, whether it be blue skies or storm clouds, His plan, or what we imagined His plan to be. We can endure heartbreak or choose to rest in the presence of Him and relinquish control. We can be angry because we did not get our way or comforted in our complete submission; the choice is ours. We can take a breath and ask God to show us what his plan is in the here and now . What can we learn, inwardly and outwardly from the experiences that throw our plans into chaos.

Regardless of our feelings, God is the only one who knows our past, present, and future. He is our best planner because His concern lies in our current life and our eternal life with Him. Let's give the best possible planner control of our lives.

Pastor Shannon

New Life Calvert