Surrender Control

1 Chronicles 29:11, 12 & Isaiah 55:8,9

I can’t speak for everyone else, but when I say that everything I plan never works out, I mean everything I plan never ever, ever, works out. It may start out well, but those smooth beginnings always end up catching on a bump and causing me to fall and land on the only solid surface that will never fail which is God. It’s almost annoying.

Whether it’s something as simple as scheduling an entire Saturday for studying and Jesus time, only looking up from the TV at 11 pm to realized you’ve done absolutely nothing with your day; to planning your future with someone and seeing that relationship crumble before you. “Hey God? Yeah it’s me again, I forgot you’re in control and it’s left me broken.”

You have no control over the life planned for you. Say that to yourself a couple times. It’s scary. But it’s also freeing. Pursue God, and he will guide you to what he has called you to: a life of recklessly abandoned love for the people he has created.

When we start planning our lives and trying to change situations on our own, we are putting our abilities ahead of God. Gut checked yet? I know I’ve been. I unfaithfully put my abilities ahead of God’s all the time. I dangle my plans in front of God’s face saying, “I’ve got this, I know exactly what needs to be done.” You know what the scary thing is? Sometimes it works. Sometimes I get those good grades, I get that starting spot on my volleyball team. Sometimes I have those great weeks where I feel invincible being independent.

And then it all comes falling apart by the smallest incident.

And I’m once again reminded of how small and insignificant my abilities are without God. How humbling it is to know that I am nothing without our Lord. How humbling to be reminded that my plans and desires always fall short of holy and perfect. How freeing to know My Lord is in control, because I know he can do so much more than I could ever dream to.

1 Chronicles 29:11,12 (ESV): “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.”

Isaiah 55:8,9 (ESV):

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways   and my thoughts than your thoughts.  

He holds it all. He controls it all. Anything we have, it’s from him. Believe it guys. Paul himself tells us in Philippians 3 to have no confidence in the flesh. When we have confidence in the flesh we are denying God of his power and strength. In 1 Peter 1:24 Peter describes the flesh as grass and the glory we get from it as flowers. Our flesh withers and our glory falls, but the truth of God remains forever.

Knowing that we have no control shouldn’t leave us helpless, it should keep us faithful. We are only helpless if we don’t have Christ. We stay faithful to him because we know our earthly abilities are weak and useless in this broken world where we are desperately in need of a savior.