Ever have those days where everything seemed to be spinning out of control? Everything from exciting, happy, joyous moments to the darkest of tragedies can cause us to need a second to breath and just put a pause on life for a second in order to take back control of our world. Or, we think that's what we need at least.
Tonight, I found myself asking God to just take over control of many different things. As I was praying this, however, I realized that while this is one of my most common prayers, it may also be the most ironic.
Why? Well first of all, I tend to pray this most often when I am not feeling in control to begin with and simply not getting what I want. I get scared and confused about a situation, so I ask God to take control of it. Is this really what I am asking, or is this just a common phrase I say to pretend like I am giving God control of it?
I pray the words, but the heart behind it is more along the lines of "okay God, you're in control. You've totally got this, but just in case I'm gonna give You constant directions of what You should be doing with my life. And I'll keep just enough control that I can take back the steering wheel in case I don't like the direction You're taking it in..."
Even as believers that are firm in our faith, it is difficult to give over the hard stuff to God. We don't like waiting for answers, even if we know God has our best intentions in mind. We are in a society that trains us for constant activity, stressing, and moving. We run from place to place, and we live off of our planners, organizers, constant phone reminders and alarms, etc. It's not uncommon for me to have well over 12 hours of my day completely filled with something. While this is not always a bad thing, the fact that we as a society pride ourselves on our ability to plan our lives to the max can become an issue. I like when I am busy because I know exactly what each hour is going to hold, and it doesn't leave room for the unknown. It's a form of CONTROL.
This particular lifestyle we live in influences how we feel about the big moments in our lives as well; we want to know how they are going to end, what the process in getting there will be, and most importantly, we want to know if it will be a comfortable situation all along the way.
A lot of times, I fight for control in the little things in life. I have a certain plan for my life which I honestly desire to match up with God's plan, but I still don't like the feeling of being in the unknown.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6:26)
Waiting in the midst of a tragedy sucks like no other. I know this, and I know many of you have experienced this as well. This is when we feel the most out of control. We feel helpless and weak. We can't reach for our magic planner and schedule when things are going to feel okay again. We have to just sit and wait.
A good friend of mine is going through a really difficult time, and she shared this verse today:
The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still." (Exodus 14:14)
I googled verses on "being still" and the first sight took me to a page with 36 different verses with a similar theme. Here are a few:
Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (Psalm 46:10)
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. (Psalm 62:5)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12)
Coming from someone that struggles with anxiety, anxiety is absolutely awful. With that being the case, why do we at times inflict anxiety and worry on ourselves? (*this is not referring to anxiety and depression in general, just when it appears from us choosing to try and control our lives ourselves.) Why would we even consider not being 100% confident that when we ask God to be in control, He WILL and it WILL be better than we could imagine?
Yes, God sometimes has a different plan for us, and yes, sometimes that plan is hard and makes absolutely no sense at the current time. However, God has proven over and over that His plan is supreme and awe-inspiring in the long run.
Literally all He is calling us to do is stop. Stop fighting, stop planning things beyond our control, and stop carrying around the weight of things far too heavy for us on our own. He wants us to be still, to breath, and to be confidant in the fact that He is carrying us through the unknown and through the scary times. We may not feel it at first, but if we truly acknowledge who is in control He will take away all of our burdens; we just need to let go of our own ways.
Another ironic thing about praying for God to take control is that He never lost it in the first place. We can run as far as we want, but we can't run away from God. Look at Jonah for instance. He sure was not crazy about going to the unknown, but by the end God showed Him how much better it is when Jonah let go of his plans and listened to God's. I mean, I would much rather be still and listening to God than be in the belly of a fish surrounded by fear and worry.
Whether you are going through a hard time or just feeling the daily stresses creeping up on you, remember that through God's word, He reminds us again and again that He knows what He is doing. Things may get difficult, but God is holding us in His hand. He truly is working for the good for our lives, and better than that He is preparing a pain-free home that we get to stay in for eternity as long as we trust in Him.
I encourage you to be confident in the fact that God is in control despite out shortcomings, and I encourage you to pray for peace and for God to mold your heart to match His plans for you.
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62: 1-2)
Tonight, I found myself asking God to just take over control of many different things. As I was praying this, however, I realized that while this is one of my most common prayers, it may also be the most ironic.
Why? Well first of all, I tend to pray this most often when I am not feeling in control to begin with and simply not getting what I want. I get scared and confused about a situation, so I ask God to take control of it. Is this really what I am asking, or is this just a common phrase I say to pretend like I am giving God control of it?
I pray the words, but the heart behind it is more along the lines of "okay God, you're in control. You've totally got this, but just in case I'm gonna give You constant directions of what You should be doing with my life. And I'll keep just enough control that I can take back the steering wheel in case I don't like the direction You're taking it in..."
Even as believers that are firm in our faith, it is difficult to give over the hard stuff to God. We don't like waiting for answers, even if we know God has our best intentions in mind. We are in a society that trains us for constant activity, stressing, and moving. We run from place to place, and we live off of our planners, organizers, constant phone reminders and alarms, etc. It's not uncommon for me to have well over 12 hours of my day completely filled with something. While this is not always a bad thing, the fact that we as a society pride ourselves on our ability to plan our lives to the max can become an issue. I like when I am busy because I know exactly what each hour is going to hold, and it doesn't leave room for the unknown. It's a form of CONTROL.
This particular lifestyle we live in influences how we feel about the big moments in our lives as well; we want to know how they are going to end, what the process in getting there will be, and most importantly, we want to know if it will be a comfortable situation all along the way.
A lot of times, I fight for control in the little things in life. I have a certain plan for my life which I honestly desire to match up with God's plan, but I still don't like the feeling of being in the unknown.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6:26)
If God cares for each of His creatures, don't you think He has a pretty good plan for us? He takes the time to care for each BIRD, so He must have time for even the seemingly small moments in our lives. But what about the larger ones?
Waiting in the midst of a tragedy sucks like no other. I know this, and I know many of you have experienced this as well. This is when we feel the most out of control. We feel helpless and weak. We can't reach for our magic planner and schedule when things are going to feel okay again. We have to just sit and wait.
A good friend of mine is going through a really difficult time, and she shared this verse today:
The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still." (Exodus 14:14)
I googled verses on "being still" and the first sight took me to a page with 36 different verses with a similar theme. Here are a few:
Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (Psalm 46:10)
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. (Psalm 62:5)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12)
Coming from someone that struggles with anxiety, anxiety is absolutely awful. With that being the case, why do we at times inflict anxiety and worry on ourselves? (*this is not referring to anxiety and depression in general, just when it appears from us choosing to try and control our lives ourselves.) Why would we even consider not being 100% confident that when we ask God to be in control, He WILL and it WILL be better than we could imagine?
Yes, God sometimes has a different plan for us, and yes, sometimes that plan is hard and makes absolutely no sense at the current time. However, God has proven over and over that His plan is supreme and awe-inspiring in the long run.
Literally all He is calling us to do is stop. Stop fighting, stop planning things beyond our control, and stop carrying around the weight of things far too heavy for us on our own. He wants us to be still, to breath, and to be confidant in the fact that He is carrying us through the unknown and through the scary times. We may not feel it at first, but if we truly acknowledge who is in control He will take away all of our burdens; we just need to let go of our own ways.
Another ironic thing about praying for God to take control is that He never lost it in the first place. We can run as far as we want, but we can't run away from God. Look at Jonah for instance. He sure was not crazy about going to the unknown, but by the end God showed Him how much better it is when Jonah let go of his plans and listened to God's. I mean, I would much rather be still and listening to God than be in the belly of a fish surrounded by fear and worry.
Whether you are going through a hard time or just feeling the daily stresses creeping up on you, remember that through God's word, He reminds us again and again that He knows what He is doing. Things may get difficult, but God is holding us in His hand. He truly is working for the good for our lives, and better than that He is preparing a pain-free home that we get to stay in for eternity as long as we trust in Him.
I encourage you to be confident in the fact that God is in control despite out shortcomings, and I encourage you to pray for peace and for God to mold your heart to match His plans for you.
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62: 1-2)
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