When your best laid plans backfire: How trusting God delivers

plans

 

I know we are little beyond all the celebrations, but this is my first post of the year and I really just wanted to acknowledge the season—so Happy New Year to you and yours!

 

Today I want to talk about how trusting God delivers you into peace, even when your best plans backfire.  I’m not in any way suggesting that planning is a bad idea, because quite frankly, plans are usually helpful.  The problem usually arises when the plans fall apart.

 

How do you respond when all your careful planning and attention to detail falls apart?

 

“There is very little that we have control over!”

 

That’s what my husband said, during his most recent sermon.  Life happens all around you, but even with the best laid plans, crazy things can happen.  The good news is:  You get to choose your how you respond.  Will you act or react?

 

I know I talk a lot about trust, but it really is that important.  The active practice of trusting God develops a strong faith muscle, which—when yielded to God— will deliver you through the dark unknown.  It’s a choice.

 

Let me tell you a little story and take you on a journey of how trusting God delivers you through real challenges and difficulties that life brings along the way.

 

Making plans…

 

I’m married to a man who is wired for opportunity.  He is not afraid of new ventures or the potential results that could ensue.  Case in point: we now live here in Pennsylvania instead of Canada.

 

He doesn’t like to set the details of plans until he has enough data to work with, which can be challenging when it comes to planning family holidays.  Our extended family has ceased asking for details too far in advance, because Ryan (my husband) can’t give them the answers they want anyway—I am convinced that we drive them all crazy!  We do our best, but there are some things that can’t be helped.

 

We live in another country so while we are still close enough to go back home, there are a lot of moving details to nail out, which require a lot of flexibility.  Our plans tend to be a little more fluid…This year was no different as we worked on our travel plans and itinerary for Christmas.

 

Typically, after we finish leading our Christmas Eve Service we pile into the truck and head north.  We usually stay in a hotel in upper New York State and then finish the trip Christmas morning.

 

Coming into December we made a decision to step away from that well-practiced plan, because we were really tired. In addition to that, we had to make another college tuition payment for our son, so we decided to forego late night driving and the expense of a hotel room.  Instead we went home and turned in early, with plans to hit the road by 4:30am.

 

 

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The best laid plans…

 

Let me just say, I was not looking forward to the early morning wake up call, but Ryan insisted and made it happen.  We were all out the door and on the way by 4:30am.  It was dark and cold, but we settled in and looked forward to seeing family at the other end.

 

It was good plan.  The truck had new heavy-duty tires in anticipation for winter driving conditions in Canada, and the transmission had been fixed earlier back in October.  There were no red flags to be concerned with and everything we thought to plan for had been looked at.

 

Maybe you can relate?  You plan a trip and you go.  Normally it happens and there are no real issues, right?  There is always a chance things can go sideways, but we do our best to plan for it.  What about when you can’t plan for it?

 

I have learned, over the years, to hold plans loosely.  When I over plan, I can easily become overwhelmed with course corrections and adjustments along the way.  It has become my practice to actively trust God and let go of my need to know or see all the details.  This is not easy and I haven’t mastered it yet, but I’m committed to practicing.

 

“The LORD directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?”

Proverbs 20:24

 

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Plans backfire!

 

So let me give a little more background…

 

I gave up on the idea of a picture perfect holiday a long time ago.  We value family and we are committed to stewarding the blessing of that gift.  It’s not easy, because we live in another country.

 

While the rest of the family is on vacation celebrating the holiday, we are leading a church through the holiday.  This is not the problem.  We are called to this ministry and delight in it, but it makes doing the normal family holiday stuff a little different.

 

So there we were, our unconventional Christmas morning, snuggled into our warm truck, heading due north.  The kids, armed with new ear buds, were doing their best to lounge and rest as we waited for the sun to rise.

 

I was pleasantly surprised at how rested and awake I felt as Ryan and I quietly chatted about things that came to mind.  It had been really busy for the last few weeks of the year so we were enjoying the time to just catch up.

 

The conversation grew quiet and I began to texting back and forth with a friend, who was also up early getting ready to head out to visit family.  Out of the silence, Ryan calmly said to me,

 

“Hey Hun…I just lost power.”

 

I tried to let the words register, but it made no sense.  So I turned to look at him and asked,

 

“What do you mean?”

 

He responded, again calmly, but firmly, “I mean I have no power.  We are just coasting.”

Okay, so let me talk about that reaction for a minute.  There was no panic—no alarm—which is pretty miraculous all on its own.  In that moment, all four of us simply and quietly asked God, “Okay—now what?”

 

 

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Forming a plan…

 

Ryan managed to safely steer the truck onto the shoulder of the road, but it still wasn’t a great place to be.  It was a section of the highway with guard rails, so while we were off the road, it wasn’t by much.  We tried to sort out exactly where we were so Ryan could call AAA.

 

We determined that we were about an hour away from our home, which became the first thing—after getting the vehicle off the road, of course—we celebrated.  Yep, you read the correctly.  We celebrated and gave thanks.

 

Ryan made the call to AAA and then we waited for the operator to find someone to come and rescue the truck.  The ideal solution was to have AAA tow the truck to our garage back home and to take us home so we could regroup and formulate a new plan, but in case you’ve forgotten, this was all happening at 5am on Christmas morning.

 

As we sat, we thanked God for protection and asked for a name.  We needed someone we could call for help, because there was no way the AAA could transport all four of us and they could not tow the truck all way home either.  There are many people we could have called, but we waited for the LORD to speak—and he did.

 

Our friend Donn, who lives five minutes from our house, answered his phone and immediately responded affirmatively to come and rescue us.  So in the course of about 15 minutes we had a new working plan: AAA would rescue Ryan and the truck, Donn would rescue the kids and I, and once we got home we’d sort out the rest.

 

Little things are a BIG deal!

 

After a few minutes had passed, it occurred to Ryan that we should probably call the state police, and let them know we were stranded out there.  I mean, we already had a plan in action, but the longer we sat there the more vulnerable we felt.  It was still pre-dawn dark and our truck was just off the road.  We were located along a bend in the road, so the situation was not ideal, by any stretch of the imagination.

 

As he called 911 the LORD directed his words.  The operator answered the call and then transferred us to the local state police, who promptly agreed to come and check on us.  When they arrived, Ryan asked if they would take the kids and me to a gas station in the next town where we would meet up with our friend Donn.

 

So there we were, crammed into the backseat of the state police cruiser.  I drew the short end of the straw (because I’m the shortest one in the family) and bent myself into the center seat—what was left of it, because there is a compartment built-in there for police equipment.  Despite the discomfort I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

 

Our ride with the police lasted all of ten minutes, but needs were being met.  In that moment, we were warm—the first time in a while, because with power gone in the truck so was the heat—and we were safe.

 

The kids followed me as I walked into the gas station, thankful to have a warm and safe place to wait.  We explained our predicament, found a place to linger as much out-of-the-way as possible, and enjoyed the free cup of coffee offered for all travelers on Christmas Day.

 

 

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The miracle of favor

 

God is faithful and good.  His wonder-working power is always miraculous, but the even more is the miracle of favor, which is found in his presence.

 

We enjoyed the presence of God in some pretty weird places in the pre-dawn hours of Christmas morning 2017.  Every step of the way felt safe, despite the unknowns and complete disruption of our best laid plans.

 

Experiencing the favor was pretty amazing, but the LORD did one better. He opened our eyes to see his supernatural power working all around us to fix each problem we encountered along the way.  I mean, he opened ALL of our eyes—not one of us felt dread or negativity—just amazing peace and wonder.  It sounds weird, but it is absolutely true.

 

In all I think we spent about 45 minutes at the gas station.  Shortly after 7:30am we were all reunited in the warm car of our friend Donn, finally on our way home.

 

We weren’t even out of the gas station parking lot as Ryan began to talk on his phone. The conversation continued and after a minute or two he hung up and informed us that a Pastor friend wanted to loan us her SUV for the week.

 

Ryan had posted our predicament on Facebook simply to have people pray.  As we persevered through each step of our rescue journey, God was working out the details of the rest.  Donn drove us to pick up the new vehicle and before long we were back on our way.

 

There was nothing about the entire experience that was wasted.  What a profound gift to receive: the active power of God working in us, through us, and for us.

 

 

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Trusting God delivers…

 

“The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me.  I will protect those who trust in my name.”

Psalm 91:14

 

You can plan well, but accidents happen.  There is very little you can control, but you can choose to trust God.

 

Bad things happen often, but God is still God, and for a child of God, that is the place you want to land.  You can’t deny the reality of hard things, but you can choose how you let it affect you.

 

The LORD promises to rescue and protect, but sometimes it feels a little touch and go.  You must learn to keep your eyes fixed on Him or the harsh reality of circumstances will pull you down.  Sometimes there are particularly horrifying situations, but even then God will bring you through.  So I reiterate—keep your eyes fixed on him.

 

 

Trusting God delivers you from chaos into his presence.  It’s in his presence that you get to see his amazing power work-both in you and around you.  In his presence you experience profound peace, but the only way in is through absolute surrender and the choice to trust him.

 

 

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Keeping it practical…

 

 

Trusting God takes practice, so how do you make it practical?

 

  1. Trust God with the little things.

 

Instead of blindly planning out your day according to lists and tasks, ask Holy Spirit to lead and provide.  And then wait for God to move.  I like to call this planning with God.  There is nothing wrong with making a plan, I’m simply suggesting shifting how you make or decide on your plans.

 

 

  1. Practice being still and waiting.

 

This one takes discipline, but when you can let go of your agenda and timeline in exchange for the abundance of God, there is no comparison.  Trusting God when you are impatient is one of the most beautiful acts of worship and your surrender in that moment is never lost on the LORD.  God is present in the waiting—learn to press in

 

  1. Rehearse the promises

 

It is really hard to hold onto something you don’t know.  Take time to meditate on all of the promises of God.  Meet with him over his word and testimony and wait patiently for revelation to come.  And do it regularly!

 

  1. Hold plans loosely

 

I believe that Holy Spirit can direct ahead of time just a seamlessly as he does spontaneously, but be careful not to confuse his plans with yours.   Sometimes I hear clearly regarding the “what,” but not so clearly on the “how.”  That can be tricky to navigate, so a good rule of thumb is take your plans to the LORD and hold them loosely.

 

 

 

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