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 can't 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.

God is Sovereign

"The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds." —Psalm 33:13-15

All over the Bible, we can read about God's omniscience and sovereignty. Knowing all things is His nature. Being fully in control is 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've found myself in more than one situation where I've 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, it 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 to surrender control at first, but I promise you, the more we realize that God is in control already, the more opportunities we will have to let God demonstrate His great power in our lives. The more we 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

Learning to trust God needs to be a very intentional process. It takes commitment to build a trusting relationship with someone, and it's the same with God. We wouldn't blindly trust someone we don't know, right? So we ought to make an effort to get to know Him as we slowly release our grip on our lives. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

Let Him be in control.

This is the first step: a choice between your control and God's. Instead of trying to chase every little thing you want or manipulating things so you get your way, trust that God has you right where He wants you and He's leading you right where you need to go.

There are things we CAN control (like our own words and actions) and things we CAN'T control (like if someone likes us or if we get a certain job). Knowing the difference between these things and handing over to God what's truly out of our control can help too.

Everything goes through God's hands first before it even reaches your life (Psalms 139:13-16). 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 (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Thank Him that He is in control.

"O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways." —Psalm 139:1-3

Practice gratitude that God knows what He's doing. Thank Him 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 Him for that circumstance (1 Peter 5:10; James 1:2-4). Your life will glorify and honor God as you experience true joy and contentment with what God is doing.

Live under His loving control.

For me, this can be one of the most challenging things to do—when we actually have to practice living 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's love for us, in His good 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).

Dying to Sin

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

When sin comes knocking at our door, when we're tempted to take control of a situation that isn't ours to handle, or when we start allowing fear or anxiety to run the show, or whatever else may be the problem, we must choose to say, "NO. I'm dead to that."

Because Jesus gave us freedom from having to choose sin, we don't have to it. It's a choice now, and we can say, "NO THANKS." We don't have to choose to stay stagnant in our walk with Christ. We don't have to give in to the things the world offers in exchange for our attention, for our worship.

Instead, we can let God have His way with our lives. He knows the story of time from beginning to end, and He will always choose the best way for us.

"We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." —Romans 8:28

If you're in a rut on your spiritual journey or if you're afraid to give God control, talk to Him about it. Study the Bible and discover how He has fulfilled His promises in the past. Ask God to alleviate your fears. He knows everything you're feeling, but when you tell Him about them, completely unfiltered, 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.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." —Matthew 11:28-30

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