Trusting God’s Plan & Timing… Why is it So Hard?

Schedules. To-do lists. Goals. Plans. Time limitations.

I'll be the first to admit, I want to feel in control of my plans. I want to know when, where, why, and how. I want to have every little detail written down, every little piece of the plan in place. I will repeat my plans out loud a million times to make sure I don't forget, and to make sure that I focus on them and nothing else.

But here's the thing. Do you really think that all of my carefully designed plans have worked the way I wanted them to, regardless of my meticulous planning and organizational efforts?

Hint: nope. Not by a mile. (Or like, ten miles sometimes.)

This has been probably the hardest pill for me to swallow. Waiting on God's timing is hard. I struggle immensely with anxiety and feeling "out of control.” And the truth is, to some extent, we all want our plans to go exactly our way. I mean, isn’t that why we make plans in the first place? Surrendering our desires to the Lord is not an easy task, especially if you're like me, but it’s a necessary one if we want to live the life He has called us to live.

The amazing thing is that we do not need to feel "in control." When we learn to give all of our plans and goals and desires to God, it's a huge burden being lifted from our shoulders. Jeremiah 29:11 says "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

Is that not just, amazing? We do not have to worry. God is in control, not us.

Of course, this is often easier said than done. We will still try to take control. But, we need to actively ask God, every day, to help us surrender our lives to Him. Satan wants us to worry and fret and try to stumble along our paths, but Proverbs 16:9 says "A man's heart plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps."

And sometimes, we won't understand why we have to wait. We won’t understand why things are not “working out for us.” We will say that we've given it all to God, but when one of those plans doesn't go how we imagined, we might start to question it. But even though we may not understand right now, we can find peace knowing that one day, it will all make sense.

Here's how I like to think about it:

Have you ever tried to put a puzzle together without knowing what the picture looks like? It's not an easy task. Is this little blue piece the sky, or is it water? Or is it something else entirely? Does this puzzle piece even belong in this set?!

The pieces of our lives are kind of like puzzle pieces, and we were never given the box that they came in. We have no idea what picture all of the pieces are supposed to make, and quite frankly, it’s frustrating and confusing.

But you know who has the box? The picture? The end result?

God does.

He created us, the puzzle, and the picture. Knowing this, why would we not surrender our plans to Him?

To end, here's a short prayer that I like to pray each time I'm feeling impatient, lost, and confused about my plans not going according to, well... my plan.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray that you will help me to surrender each part of my life to You, each plan that I make I give to You. Your timing is never early, nor is it late; it is perfect every time. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) Help me to rest in the knowledge that You direct my steps, and that Your plan for us is the best for us. Amen.