"But You Knew That, God."

Posted by Stephanie on 6.9.17

Giving Control to God

I was having a hard time falling asleep the other night, and I was growing increasingly anxious to fall asleep. Finally, after a couple hours of lying in bed, I decided to get up. When I came back to my bedroom, I glanced at the clock. It was 11:05 PM—way past my bedtime. Immediately, I called out to God and said, "I want to fall asleep! It's 11 o'clock!" Immediately following that prayer, I said to God, without even realizing it, "But You knew that..." Why did I have to tell HIM? He knew I had insomnia! I should have been asking Him for sleep—not telling Him what He already knew.

All over the Bible, we can read about God's sovereignty. It's who He is. It's what He does. When the Father sent Jesus Christ, He gave Jesus authority over all things (1 Corinthians 15:27). Everything in the whole world is under His feet (Ephesians 1:22), and there is nothing that He does not know (1 John 3:20b). This can be a very comforting thought, and it was one that I always "knew" and had thought I'd put into practice.

However, I have found myself in more than one situation where I have tried to rely on myself to make something work out. (Like trying to MAKE myself fall asleep.) But depending on my own control of the situation rarely works.

Living a lifestyle that reflects our sincere belief in God's sovereignty is a practice we can grow and develop over time. It can be a bit scary at first, but I promise you, the more we realize that God is in control, the more opportunities we will have to let God demonstrate His great power in our lives. The more we will trust Him and fully rely on His sovereignty, the more joy we can find in life (John 15:11).

How to trust God's sovereignty (a few ways):

• Let Him be in control. This is the first step: a choice between your control and God's. Instead of trying to make situations what you want them to be or manipulating things so you'll feel better, trust that God has you right where He wants you. Everything goes through God's hands first before it even reaches your life. We must remember that in everything, in every second of every minute of every day, God knows what He is doing, and nothing takes Him by surprise (Psalm 139:1-6). Let go, breathe, and let God take control. He knows what's best for each and every person—much more than we could ever understand (Jeremiah 29:11).
• Thank Him that He is in control. After you accept that God is in control, then thank Him for knowing what He is doing and for showing His hand at work in your life. Even if your present circumstance isn't how you want it to be, be grateful and worship God for that circumstance (1 Peter 5:10; James 1:2-4). Your life will bring honor to God and bring joy to your heart when you are content with what God is doing.
• Live under His loving control. For me, this can be one of the most challenging things to do. Once you let Him have control, acknowledging and thanking God for His sovereignty, then we have to actually live under His control. This involves letting go of fear in our lives, letting go of what other people might think about our current situation, and being humble enough to confidently say, "God is in control, and I'm OK with what He is doing." A child can walk with his hand gripped by his mother but still struggle like crazy. We can't do that with God if we want to benefit from His sovereignty. Yes, giving God control of our lives takes an enormous amount of faith and courage—faith in God, His character, and that He will do what He says He will do. But let me tell you: it's worth it (Psalm 37:4-6; Romans 8:28; Proverbs 3:6).

"Sin, you are dead to me."

"...count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." —Romans 6:11

I once read a devotional about being dead to sin and choosing Christ as our new master. Something that really struck me was a tip about what to do when sin comes knocking at our door. When we feel tempted to take control of a situation that isn't ours to handle, or we start getting anxiety or fear in our lives, or whatever else may be the problem, all we have to say is, "I'm dead to that."

Isn't that great? Because Jesus came and made a way, we don't have to choose sin, and we don't have to choose to stay stagnant in our walk with Christ. We don't have to give in to the things that vie for our attention and our life and control, but we can let God have His way with our lives. He knows all of time from beginning to end, and He will always choose the best way for us. Things will always end up for our benefit when we give God the control (Romans 8:28).

If you're in a rut on your faith path or you're afraid to give God control, talk to Him about it. Study the Bible and discover how He has fulfilled His promises. Ask God to alleviate your fears. He knows everything you're feeling, but when you tell Him blankly how about them, there's something so freeing in that. Confession releases your problems and emotions into God's loving care. He wants you to bring your feelings and thoughts to Him so that, while He's working on your situation, He can also be working on your heart.

—Stephanie