Each morning I remind myself to stop and ask for God’s direction when fear and confusion overwhelm me during my day. I ... pray for His direction and His will in my life. There must be a reason I am going through this place. I can remind myself that I am not alone—God is with me. The outcome is up to Him; I just look for His direction. The fear and anxiety subside in time when I ask God to show me His will. (Discovering Choices, page 208)
I've found a good system is this:
1. Make a list of all of the things I think are problems. I am very specific: the actual, literal fact or circumstance of my that is generating the problem, not my interpretation, analysis, or abstraction.
2. I say to God, 'What do you want me to do about this, if anything? What do you want me to start doing, stop doing, or do differently?'
3. I write down the answer.
4. If nothing comes, that means I'm not due an answer right now. I needn't feel guilty that I am apparently doing nothing about the 'problem' or that I do not know what to do. My job is to ask; God's job is to answer; if He hasn't answered, that's His problem, not mine.
5. If something radical, unusual, or interfering comes to mind, I check it out with someone.
6. In any case, the job is now done: the problem is no longer my business, until the next appointed time of prayer.
7. My focus then becomes the implementation of the answer.