Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in Me.  John 14:1

     I meet with a young college student who came to see me for her anxiety and has continued coming so that I can teach her how to walk with God in the challenges of real life. She doesn’t always have an agenda, and sometimes I don’t either. She shares her life and I share what I’m learning. So not long ago, I told her the story of Nicolae Moldoveanu who said to God, “Break my plans.” I didn’t get much of a response, so I couldn’t tell what she thought of the story.

     The next week she came back and said that she was responsible for a program that the children at her rather large church were putting on. It was quite a production, and the meeting that week had been a disaster. Some of the people forgot about the practice, and those who were there panicked. The associate pastor, who was to be the overseer, had quite a bit to say about the importance of getting it right. She felt demeaned by what he said and overwhelmed by everyone’s negative responses.

     I told her I thought the pastor was struggling with the pressure of looking bad, and because he was ultimately responsible, was nervous and afraid of failure. So I asked her, “What did you do? How did you handle it?”

     She said, “I said I had to go get supplies, because I was overwhelmed with emotion and a sense of worthlessness. I had to get some space so I could think. As I drove I prayed that God would help me. Then the story you told me last week came to my mind. I said to God, ‘I felt like I had a handle on this thing and it is falling apart. This is not what I want, but maybe You want it to look different. So break my plans. I give this production to You.’”

     I was amazed. We tend to think about that prayer, “not my will but Thine be done”, for fork in the road decisions. Big things. Life choices. She took this prayer and applied it to her difficult circumstance that day. Day to day we make plans, right? Are we flexible enough to pray about those “small” things, “God, break my plans”? Are we willing for God to not only be the Lord of the large plans, but also the Lord of the small plans?  The truth is, there are only a few times in my life that I will have to make a big choice, but the daily choices—well, they come daily. If I walked with God daily and asked for His will in each circumstance, wouldn’t my seeking God’s will be a way of life? What a wonderful way to live!

*Are you willing to pray today, all day long, “God, break my plans”?

Father, today I will not let my heart be troubled. I trust You. Guide me in this prayer for surrender, even in the small irritations that cause me to be at odds with others or to be filled with frustration. I want Your will in the small, because they might not be so small after all. You are the Lord of all my life! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.


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