Letting Go and Letting God
I’ll admit it. It really bothers me. I can’t understand why bad things happen to good people. And, just as confusing, how good things happen to bad people. It just irks me. It doesn’t make sense to my logical mind.
Scanning through a magazine one day, I read story after story of starving children, natural disasters, diseases and plagues, and it really hit me hard. “Why, Lord? I just want to know why!” I would read these articles in tears, weeping for what seemed to be the unjustness of it all. “Why Lord?” I continued to question.
I began to look back at a time when the children of Israel had just left Egypt. God’s miraculous hand had delivered them from Pharaoh’s grip. Their prayers were answered. They were free people–free from the bondage of slavery.
And now, God established new rules and regulations–a new way of living. The boundaries were clear. The system of justice was straightforward and fair. You didn’t break the law. Period. If you did, you were punished. And, to further my acceptance of this system, the punishment was based on severity of the offense.
A minor trespass–a fine.
A major trespass–death.
It was fair.
It was just.
It made sense.
Not to mention, God was there in their camp with his people. By day, he was a cloud that descended upon the Tabernacle. By night, a pillar of fire. You could see and hear God. If you had a question, you’d just ask Moses and he would inquire of God for you. “Should I start this job? Is this my spouse for life? Can I carry my Bible to school?” Questions were answered clearly. The objectiveness of it all made sense to my logical mind.
But to my amazement, these people still grumbled (Exodus 16:2). They complained (Numbers 11:1). They doubted (Numbers 14:3). And, even more shocking, they rebelled against God (Deut. 9:24). God was just. He was fair. He did not hide himself. He spoke to the people. But still, they turned from him.
I guess I liked this system of law, because it created a sense of control. You were the one in control of your destiny. If you messed up, you had to deal with the consequences. There was no need for an intimate relationship with God. In fact, the people told Moses, “You speak to God for us” (Exodus 20:19).
Being in control gives us this vain sense of peace. “If I can just maintain control, everything will be all right.” When things are beyond our control, anxiety and fear wells up within our heart. I believe that’s why the fear of death is so common with people with panic attacks. It is something beyond our control.
Looking back across the ages, through the Old and New Covenants, God declared that the age of Grace–the age of Jesus Christ–is a better covenant with better promises (Hebrews 8:6). Why is this a better time to live in? I believe it’s because we are called to have an intimate relationship with our Father, not a life full of rules and regulations. We are called a blessed people, because we live in an age where sin is forgiven through Jesus (Romans 4:8).
Today, I encourage you to surrender your control to God. Live your life in Christ, for a surrendered life is a life full of peace. When you relinquish your control to God, he will wrap his arms of love around you, and the fearful vulnerability will melt away.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Prayer: Lord, I have tried for so long to control everything in my life. You have not called us to be in control. You have called us to surrender our lives to you. Lord, I put my trust in you. I put my hope in you. Thank you for allowing me to let go of those I can’t control, and giving me the courage to let of the things I can control.