The Purpose of His Will by Jana Baldridge “In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will . . .” Ephesians 1:11 In the past couple months, the Lord has been teaching me a lesson on surrender and prayer through a rather difficult person for me. I thought I would share this lesson with you, and perhaps you can learn as well. Before our family moved to Wisconsin about four years ago, I had a best friend named Erica. Erica and I did everything together (or so it seemed), even though she went to a public school, and I was home schooled. At church we always sat next to each other, we had sleep sleepovers together, and we always shared our secrets with the other. When we moved, Erica and I promised to stay friends forever. We exchanged letters twice a week it seemed, and she even sent me half of a best friends necklace, saying she would always wear her half. I did also and would often think of her when that necklace would jiggle on its chain. We saw each other about twice a year; during the summer and at Christmas time as we visited our grandparents who attended the same church as Erica and her family. But over the span of two years, I received fewer and fewer letters from her; maybe once a year, and then it was quite long, as Erica would tell me all about her life, how it was difficult for her, and how she didn’t see any point in following the Lord. She had it all figured out and knew she could live her life with Him. Erica had changed . . . and so had I. My values, our family’s lifestyle, my goals- everything was different. Yet, though we were so different, I still wanted Erica as my friend. I didn’t know why- we had nothing in common, and our chats when I visited my grandparents seemed strained. Christmas of 1995, I saw her briefly; we hugged, said hello, and only had about 5 minutes to talk. For all of 1996, I never saw her. She was always gone on vacation when we came, or she left early after the church service. During the 1996 Christmas holiday season, my daddy was asked to play in a band, which would be performing during an informal gathering of the church people. Eagerly, I watched for Erica that night . . . and did see her. She was still Erica, but over one year, she had totally changed. We did the tradition of hugging, saying how long it had been and such, but it was like Erica didn’t want to be seen with me and was even embarrassed to be near me. We talked just about all that night, and Erica shared her life over the past few years. All I could say was “yes” or “oh” over and over as she told me stories of how she was so unhappy, and how she was trying to find happiness in boys. I realized that Erica was hurting . . . and though she seemed reluctant to be with me, she was desperately looking for someone to help her find the joy she had before I moved- that is, before she began dating all these boys. I wanted to do something for her, but I didn’t know what. I prayed, asking the Lord to give me the words to say to her. I did buy her a Christmas present right on Christmas Eve, and she almost broke down in tears. In fact, if her parents and sister were not there, I bet she would have. Back home, I was desperate to help her. I prayed over and over for guidance; I tried writing letters to Erica, but nothing flowed and I couldn’t find the words to say. My parents knew of this but didn’t know what to do, other than to help me pray for Erica. This troubled me for about 2 weeks. Then one night, in total desperation, I asked again for wisdom of what to do. For as it says in James 1:5- “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” And He did give me that wisdom- but in a way I didn’t expect. I realized then that though I had been praying for Erica, asking the Lord to help me, I didn’t think about the possibility that God wanted me to give Erica to Him; meaning, that I shouldn’t worry about her, and I should let the Lord work out the details and such in his time- or with His will. That night, I surrendered my will to the Lord, and I have felt such peace ever since. I prayed that God would work His will in Erica, and that I might be able to be apart of that. The Lord would take care of it all. Erica was, and always will be, in good hands. I wish I could close this article by saying that Erica wrote back many times since Christmas, and that there is a change beginning in her . . . but I can’t. I still haven’t heard from her. My grandma says that twice since Christmas, Erica came up to her and asked about me right out of the blue, which I do consider a change, as Erica would hardly ever ask about me. Maybe she has my letter and doesn’t know what to say; maybe she’s scared, or, quite frankly, maybe she doesn’t know what her friends might think. Whatever happens, I know that the Lord is always taking care of Erica and that He always knows what is happening to her- even if I don’t. Sometimes I get impatient, or think if “holding onto” Erica is worth all this pain and tears. But I know, no matter what people say or think, that Erica wants me, and with the Lord’s help, I will someday be able to help her. With whatever you may be struggling to surrender to God, this can apply in almost the same way. The Lord is in control of all situations and knows the plans for your life. Surrender your problems to God, and then pray for His will to be done. Trust Him that he knows the best. “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20 & 21 YWSH Main Page