Who Is In Control?

“Unless we’re convinced the good Lord is in absolute control of everything, we’ll be controlled by anxiety and fear.”—George Foreman

 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.”

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

• Study 2 Chronicles 32:7–9 and Psalm 81:1. Why is it critical for us to let go and let God lead us into our battles? Does He have the strength to bring us victory, in spite of our circumstances?
• Understand that there is nothing sweeter and better than living in the loving grasp of God—not only because it helps us overcome our pain and hurt, but also because it’s an expression of our deep love for Him. He desires to receive that love from us.
• Discover the power of letting go and letting God be in control. Only then can He be your true protection and strength. Only then can He help you through the tight places with tremendous power. Only then can you know that God’s refuge is so secure that you have nothing to fear.

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Today’s post is by Wayne Hastings the president of The Wayne Hastings Company. Wayne works directly with publishing and retail clients in the areas of leadership, product development, marketing and retailing effectiveness. His post is an excerpt from his latest book, The Way Back From Loss: Reassembling the Pieces of a Broken Life (Worthy 2014)

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