About a year ago I had to have a minor surgery. However minor and non-invasive my doctor told me it would be, I still had to go under anesthesia and spend the night in the hospital. For me, this was not so minor. Getting any type of unexpected news can be challenging. But, when my doctor sent me for a sonogram, and then an MRI, and then finally called me with the news, there was nothing I could do but trust her. As much as I could have wanted to take control, she was the doctor and I was not. It would have been pointless for me to try to refute and analyze every scan. What she saw on a sonogram and MRI were things I would not have been able to understand; I would have simply seen a mess of black and white images and had to rely on her to point out what I was looking at. So, I trusted her. I recognized that this is what she went to school for and that in my ignorance, I had no idea I was living with such abnormalities inside of me for who knows how long until she pointed them out, anyway.
See, it can be easy for us to step aside and let the professionals take over when it comes to doctors, car mechanics, lawyers, accountants, etc. I can more readily hand over control to someone I know is trained to do something better than I can. Now, I still enjoy having control, so I may try to be as involved as possible, but at the end of the day I cannot refute that they are the professionals and I am not.
The same should be true for God, right? We should be so ready to say that God is God and we are not. But, often, I find I try to play god more often than I allow Him to be God in my life. So much more than the professionals of this world, God is far more supreme, powerful, trustworthy, majestic, and in control. Colossians 1:16-17 reminds us that “… by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” God is in control, He always has been and always will be.
What does this mean? For me, I have found such freedom in remembering that God is God and I am not. That God holds my future securely, not me. That God is my ultimate provider, He is trustworthy. God holds the world on its axis and keeps us grounded to its surface, not me or you. We don’t have to be in control of everything all the time! We can rest securely knowing that there is a God who is far better at being in charge of our lives than we are. I have tried to take the reins on my life, and often found it brings me more pain, stress, and heartache. Life is so much richer and so much more peaceful when we stop trying to hold the world together and let Jesus be in charge. Let us give control over to an all knowing, all powerful, and all loving God. He can do it far better than you or I can.
Thus, I leave you with this, as Isaiah 43:1 reminds us – The Lord created us, formed us before time and tells us “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” Meaning, that God himself sought you out, He is calling you His own and His word is filled with promises of how He will always be with and take care of His children.
So today, as you consider the things that stress you out, ask yourself – “Am I trying to take the place of God in this? Is there a promise He made to take care of me in this situation?” and as you do, I can assure you that God wants you to allow Him into the situation and bring you peace.
Be Blessed in Remembering this Today
-Samm Parker