The following post is an excerpt from my new book, The Way Back from Loss:
“Unless we’re convinced the good Lord is in absolute control of everything, we’ll be controlled by anxiety and fear.”[i] —George Foreman
Today’s Verse: “God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1 AMP)
We, especially those of us who live in the Western world, love to think we are in control. We think—in fact, we’re told from a young age—that we can do it all. We work so hard to control our money, our time, our talents, and yet—no matter how hard we try to control things, we seem to fall farther behind. Work doesn’t go the way we want it to go; our money runs out and our debts mount. We have no time and we’re always late. We’d like to work 100 percent of the time in our area of strength, but we’re constantly pulled by nagging and mundane chores. We desperately want to be in control and we’re continually free-falling out of control.
It’s in these moments that God often uses a shattering experience to wake us up. Everything we think we have under control gets away from us. We are suddenly feeling totally out of control and miserable. Nothing seems right. We yearn for the past, we are scared of the future, and we sink into gut-wrenching angst.
Dr. Charles F. Stanley writes, “When we face overwhelming situations, the one thing that brings assurance and hope is the fact that God is in control. No matter what we experience or feel, we can know that He loves us and is working to bring good out of each heartache, difficulty, or disappointment.”[ii]
God wants to possess our hearts completely. Make no mistake; He’s not some kind of cosmic puppeteer with strings attached. He is the loving, caring God of the Universe who desires a deep and personal relationship with us. He’s there to help in good and bad times, in the pain of loss and the celebration of recovery. He wants your heart and your complete trust that He will do all He says He will do.
The big question is this: Do you trust God enough to let Him be in absolute control of every facet of your life? Not just church or work. Not just your home life or quiet time, but everything.
INSIGHT: God is there in our times of trouble. All He asks is that we surrender to Him, because to do anything in us, He must be totally in control.
PRAYER: Ask God to show you how you can be in His presence constantly and hear His voice. Tell Him that you never want to lose touch with Him. Make a prayerful commitment never to stray from Him and His total control of your thoughts, emotions, and responses.
LIFE CHOICES:
[i] George Foreman, Fatherhood By George: Hard-Won Advice on Being a Dad, (Nashville, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2008),97
[ii] Charles F. Stanley, God is in Control: My Unshakable Peace When the Storms Came, (Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc, 2003),127
©2014 Wayne Hastings. All Rights Reserved. Site by Birdsong Creative.