Be Still

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” — Psalm 46:1.   

There are people who seem to be in complete control of their lives. They appear as this cool and composed person who has this laid back and on top of everything persona. Their friends are impressed, commenting that “they never worry about anything, do they?” In most cases, they are fooling others and themselves.

Behind the “all together” exterior is a stressful balance of keeping all the balls in the air, while organizing and trying to schedule and compartmentalize everything that is happening on a daily basis. And it never stops. Life is found in an abundance of activity and commitments. You could probably power a small electric power plant with the energy the person spends trying to keep it together. When we finally admit that we don’t have it together, we realize that we don’t have a hectic life problem, we have a “trust in God” problem.

Jesus promised an abundant life, but also told us there is an enemy plotting our downfall: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10 ESV). 

The abundant life Jesus offers isn’t filled with to-do’s. It is filled with trust. God’s promise us that it will work out for our best in the good, the bad, and the ugly. God always knows what is best for us. We need to look to Him to fill our days, instead of an endless to-do list. That means we trust God enough to relinquish control to Him rather than trying to continue doing “life” on our own.

Trusting in God is a lifelong process. Like many aspects of the Christian faith, it’s a choice that we make every day. We have to learn to let go knowing God is in control and understands more than we ever could. 

God holds the world in His hands — but we’ll never fully grasp the power and extent of those hands if we’re not tuned into and focused on Him. When we surrender control, wait and trust in God’s plan, we can know that He will be faithful to lead us where He wants us to go. Jeremiah 29:13 says “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”. Seek God and He will direct your steps.

Discussion Questions:

1. What evidences do you see of nature being “surrendered” to God’s control? What about your life?
2. What fears do you have about fully surrendering every aspect of your life to God? 
3. What can you do to give God more control?