Today happened to remind me that I'm not in control of my day, which is the very reason I say a prayer of daily surrender to the Holy Spirit. I had two out of the office meetings in Northwest Omaha, and I was just getting out of my car to go into the first one, when my wife called because a bird had gotten into the house, and she had it trapped in the bathroom (we have a house with one bathroom, so waiting a few hours for the humane society was not an option). I called and cancelled my first appointment and rescheduled my second appointment and headed home to help her out. That was where the Holy Spirit needed me to be. Now, on the way home, I got trapped next to a cattle truck when one of the cows decided to relieve itself (which, I'm not sure the purpose of that, except to give me something to laugh about and a very good reason to get my car washed). So now my plans for the day are all off kilter, but its okay. God needed to alter my plans to suit his needs today, and that was to be there to help my family.
There are some great formal prayers for surrender, but I like the one inspired by Father Larry Richards (http://www.thereasonforourhope.org/) which is more conversational. It goes like this "Lord, I have some things I'd like to accomplish today, but if you need me to put those aside to do your work, I'm happy to do so. Please let me be an instrument of your work today." Now don't memorize the prayer, just say something like it when you are talking to God. It's best to do it before your feet hit the floor in the morning. This prayer is the reason I didn't get all bend out of shape that my day is not going as I planned it. Yeah, I lost a few hours of time I had planned for something else, but its okay, because I was where God needed me to be today (and guess what, all that work I have to do is still there waiting for me...)
Jeff Palzer
March 22, 2011
