How to Let God Lead You When Your Plans Fall Apart
Snow falls like a quiet kind of awakening, and when I listen closely, I can hear the heavy flakes gathering. I stand among the marmalade beech leaves as they cling to finger-like branches, waving at the dusk like these chilling grey days are not only expected but welcomed. Maybe the beech leaves have learned the secret about how to let God lead you when the season doesn’t unfold with the lush vivacity you expected.
I stare at them blankly.
I’m having a hard time agreeing with their cheerful heavenward waving.
Winter drains the life from my veins here in the hills of the northeast.
My body craves sunlight in the same way hungry flesh craves food. I need sustenance for my weary soul.
On a very deep level, part of me believes I ought to be so grounded in my faith that these shifting seasons don’t stifle my joy.
I know I ought to give thanks and make gratitude lists and count blessings, but at the end of the day, these disciplines feel like just a bit too much work, and I’ve been working all day, thank you very much. (Been here? Read more about how to encounter God in this post.)
How to Let God Lead You When Life Doesn’t Make Sense
On this dusky evening, snow falling like anything but grace from the ever-grey sky, I’m here in the woods to talk to God about my life.
I’ve always encountered his heart most purely with a Bible in my hands beneath open skies, away from the words and worries of others, and this is why I’ve come to the woods tonight.
I’m in the woods because I thought I had a well-crafted plan.
I even believed it was led by the Spirit of the Living God. It was a plan wrapped around the timing of life-changing decisions for our little family. The plan considered all things. It was prayed through, weighed out, and orchestrated with flawless precision.
I had imagined that by the time the snow fell heavily upon the hemlock boughs, our family would be well into our next endeavor.
I set deadlines and timelines, and if Option 1 hadn’t transpired by the prescribed date, I was diving into Option 2 head-on.
And here, in the thick of this season of darkness, our little family stands on the brink of a precipice in which neither option has taken place, and we’re not so sure what comes next.
It’s the not knowing that’s making my head spin.
I don’t have much control over how this is all unfolding. I’m starting to wonder if the calling to let God lead my life is too hard.
The Prayer God Will Answer
I brush the snow from a fallen maple tree along the creek and sit to ponder the words of a mentor.
I told her all about my options, and she didn’t offer an answer, but she did offer words of wisdom. She advised me to pray that my thoughts will become agreeable with God’s thoughts as I roll my weighty decisions onto him.
Now, I can’t help but wonder if she was unwrapping the gift of what it really means to live a surrendered life, what it really means to let God lead you over the hilltops and through the valleys of life.
And so, on the log, I stop praying for open doors. I stop praying for things to happen or for some kind of human-contrived confirmation from heaven. I simply ask God to make my thoughts agreeable with his.
I’m met with only silence. There is no divine revelation or strong impression from the Spirit. Only the sound of white crystals piling high, one upon the other. A chill races down my spine, and I begin a slow walk home in the milky twilight.
God Is More Concerned with Your Heart than Your Circumstances
As I slip silently beneath the hemlocks, a thought passes through my mind: I’ve spent so much time making plans and asking the Lord for discernment about what to do next.
What if this entire journey isn’t even about the way my life is unfolding?
What if it actually has everything to do with learning to walk with God in a step-by-step sort of way?
I generally prefer a 5-year plan when it comes to organizing our lives. God rarely provides this kind of future insight, but he is often gracious to grant a 1-year or even 6-month glimpse into what the future might hold for our family.
As we delve into this new season, it’s clear to me that he is leading us into a week-by-week kind of plan.
He’s asking us to trust him with what we can’t see about the very near future.
It’s somewhat terrifying.
However, learning to need him, lean into him, and seek his direction in an ongoing way might just be the greatest gift he’s ever given. Maybe this whole experience has very little to do with our plans and everything to do with learning to press closer to the heart of God, one slow step at a time.
A Free Devotional for You:
This post is a part of a series called Space for Your Soul to Stretch. Does the idea of slipping away to a beautiful place to recharge and refresh sound inviting? Space for Your Soul to Stretch is your invitation to create space to rest in God’s presence. You need only 12 minutes per day for this 8-day journey. Each day invites you to encounter God’s created world and spend time in his written Word. You will walk away from this journey replenished and refreshed each day. It is my gift to you here.
These Two Books are Free on Kindle Unlimited as eBooks and Also Available in Print:
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book in eBook form for free on the Kindle Unlimited Plan or for 12.99 in print right here. (You can sign up for a free three-month Kindle Unlimited trial if you are not a member.) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling All Moms and Daughters!
Additionally, my 12-year-old daughter, Bekah, and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book to help mothers and daughters grow closer together while connecting with God. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section. Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by this book! You can find this book in eBook form for free on the Kindle Unlimited Plan or buy a print copy for 11.99 right here.
