‘Hey, let’s go get a coffee a Central Perk!’ your dear friend says. ‘You drive.’ So, you grab your keys and hop in, opening the discussion about the best way to get there. As you merge on to the highway, your friend says, ‘Take the exit for B street, and we’ll miss the traffic.’ We know how this soon devolves into no-yes-no and I-know-better-than-you. And if instead of a friend, the driver is a family member? The discussion seems to get even more heated. By the time you finally arrive there is little enjoyment left in getting coffee, just the two of you.

God’s plan got lost along the way.

The thing is, this is the scenario that came to mind while I was thinking about how God leads us. I honestly don’t see Him in the driver’s seat, I see me in the driver’s seat of my life. So, really, when it all seems out of control, I think it is up to me to look back and check where I took the wrong turn. I can almost guarantee that I decided that I knew better and that turn heading to the coffee shop meant that we ended up behind the overturned truck with hundreds of crates of oranges strewn over the highway that took an hour to clean up enough for cars to pass by.

That’s the thing, Jesus was there with me the whole time, but I ignored the plan, the good plan He has for me. My friend, Jesus, said to take the early exit, which seemed ridiculous to me. But His ways are higher than my ways. He sees the big picture when all I see is the tree, or in this case, all I see is my need to be right.

The good news is that He is always with me, waiting for my attention and inclusion. He is always with you, ready to lead you back to the plan He set out. He’s made some adjustments, but He can account for that, restore what you may have lost and carry you through to the right place to get on track. Proverbs 19:21 says, ‘Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails,’ and this confirms that He will bring us back to His good plan and purpose for us. He doesn’t look at the mess and shake His head and say, ‘well – what are you gonna do now?’ He doesn’t expect you to get yourself out of the mess; He cleans it up with you, walking alongside every moment.

Or maybe the plan is just slipping through your fingers.

Or maybe you are convinced that God lead you to this exact place and that you are where you need to be, where you are supposed to be. And still you look around you and see the bills that need paying, the diaper that needs changing, the dinner to prepare, the project that needs finishing for tomorrow’s deadline, the oil in the car that needs changing, the Bible study that needs reading, and, and, and. It just gets out of control; it no longer fits in the system that used to work. What happened? How has it slipped through my fingers?

His plan is still there, He is still guiding you. His plan is good. Proverbs 16:9 reminds us that, ‘In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.’ The reminder is that we plan and carry out His good works, but we must always see that He is our guide. Things slip away from us when we slip away from Him.

So, if we go back to the initial analogy, Jesus invited us for coffee. We took him up on the offer to make Him our Savior and Lord. Are you ready to make him the go-to guy for coffee dates, too? The one you turn to every step of the way for direction and affirmation and comfort? He loves you and wants only the best for you; take Him up on the offer. He has a good plan for you, so let Him lead (and stop taking up control!). If you’d like to join me here in prayer, please do:

Dear Jesus, Things around here are not under control, in control or even near controlled. You know, You see what is going on around me. You see my weaknesses and fears and doubts. But in Colossians 1:17, it says You are ‘before all things, and in [You] all things hold together,’ so take this and hold it together while making me what you will. I don’t just want coffee together, but I want you to be my best friend. I know you are the potter and will make me into the vessel that you fill to overflowing and put to better use than I ever could. In Jesus mighty name, Amen.

In this year of peace, we have a new month – new topic. This month we are going to peer into when things seem ‘out of control’ and how we can rest secure in God as ‘in all things, God works for the good of those who love him’ (Romans 8:28).