“I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, 'You are my God!' My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.”
Sometimes we forget that God knows everything and is completely in control. The other night, I was having a hard time falling asleep, and I was growing increasingly anxious. After hours of laying in bed, I called out to God and said, "I can't sleep, Lord! Why don't you help me?!"
Immediately I caught myself. I had to laugh a little as I confessed, "But You knew that..." Why did I have to tell Him? He was with me the whole time. I should have been asking Him for sleep—not laying in bed and getting frustrated, thinking God wasn't paying attention to me.
God is Sovereign
“The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.”
All over the Bible, we can read about God's omniscience and sovereignty. Knowing all things is His nature. Being fully in control is what He does. When the Father sent Jesus, He gave Him authority over all things (1 Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:22), and there's nothing He doesn't know (1 John 3:20).
When I'm feeling anxious or alone in the world, this can be a very comforting truth. I'd always thought I'd put into practice. But I've found myself in more than one situation where I've tried to solely rely on myself to make something work out. But in many of those challenging situations, my power alone isn't even close to enough.
Learning to Trust God's Sovereignty
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.”
Living a lifestyle that reflects our sincere belief in God's sovereignty is a practice we can grow and develop over time. It can be a bit scary to surrender control at first. I promise you this, though: the more we acknowledge that God's in control already, the more we'll see Him demonstrate His great power in our lives. The more we trust Him and rely on His plan, the more joy we can find in life (John 15:11).
Learning to trust God needs to be an intentional process. It takes commitment to build a trusting relationship with someone, and it's the same with God. We wouldn't blindly trust someone we don't know, right? So we ought to make an effort to get to know Him as we slowly release our grip on our lives. Here are just a couple ideas to get you started.
1. Recognize Who's in Control of What
“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
Following in Christ's footsteps is a matter of choosing His path over our own. Instead of trying to chase every little thing you want or manipulating things to get our way, we should trust that God has us right where He wants us and that He's leading us right where we need to go.
Of course, there are plenty of things we CAN control—like our own words and actions. But there are also things we can't control—like if someone likes us or if we get a certain job. Knowing the difference and handing over to God what's truly out of our control can help too (Psalms 139:13-16).
2. Have Gratitude for God's Control
“We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Thank God when you see His work in your life. Even if your present circumstance isn't exactly how you wanted it to be, understand that there may be a reason why God allowed it to be this way (Isaiah 55:8-9). Be grateful and worship Him for that circumstance (1 Peter 5:10; James 1:2-4).
God knows what He's doing in every second of every minute of every day, and nothing takes Him by surprise (Psalm 139:1-6). Let go of that iron grip on things you can't control. Breathe. And let God do what He does best (Romans 8:28). Your life will glorify and honor God as you experience true joy and contentment with what God's doing.
Practice Letting Go
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
For me, this can be one of the most challenging things to do—actually handing the controls to God. Because it also takes letting go of fear (Psalm 56:3), releasing anxiety (Philippians 4:6-7), and disregarding what others might think about us. We must choose to humbly and confidently say, "God's in control, and I'm OK with what He's doing."
A child can walk with his hand gripped by his mother but still struggle like crazy. If we want to benefit from God's sovereignty, we can't struggle against Him like a child. Yes, giving Him control takes an enormous amount of courage and faith—faith in God's love for us, in His good character, and that He'll do what He says He'll do (Psalm 37:4-6; Romans 8:28; Proverbs 3:6).
Dead to Sin & Free in Christ
“You also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”
Jesus gave us freedom from having to choose sin. Being saved means that not sinning is now an option. We can say, "NO. I'm dead to that" (Romans 6:11). We don't have to choose to stay stagnant in our spiritual growth. We don't have to give in to the things the world offers in exchange for our attention and worship.
Instead, we can let God have His way with our lives. He knows the story of time from beginning to end, and He'll always choose the best way for us (Romans 8:28).
Starting Over is Encouraged
“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”
If you're feeling a little lost, off the path, or in a rut on your spiritual journey, it's not too late to walk toward your Creator. Study the Bible and discover how He's fulfilled His promises in the past. Ask God to alleviate your fears (Psalm 23). Confession releases your problems and emotions into God's loving care (1 John 1:9).
Our Heavenly Father knows everything we're feeling, but when we talk to Him, completely unfiltered, there's something so freeing in that. He loves us deeply and wants to hear from His children. He wants you to bear your soul to Him so that, while He's working on your situation, He can also be working on your heart.
“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”