He [Abraham] did not know where he was going.
hebrews 11:8
I don’t know about you, but I ALWAYS want to know where I’m going! I want to know the PLAN, and (if I’m honest) I want CONTROL over the plan!
But often I’m dealing with “out of control”.
Recently I was with a group of friends sharing prayer concerns that felt out of control.
- One has a husband in a toxic job and financial stress.
- Another is struggling with a young child’s behavior.
- A third has in-law tensions.
- One is dealing with health issues, and another has a college student struggling with anxiety.
- Me? I continue to feel like I’m being tossed around by a leaf-blower with no place to land for any length of time.
These are all situations where we feel out of control – praying and waiting and wanting to DO SOMETHING TO FIX IT! Can you relate? What’s your “out of control”?
If it’s any comfort, we’re not alone. The Bible is filled with out-of-control people who can’t fix their stuff on their own (think Sarah who’s barren, Moses chased by Egyptians, Hagar outcast, Mary a pregnant virgin…), and maybe out of control is the best place to be.
Maybe it’s good to know we will fail without divine intervention! Maybe we’re always there to a degree, but we just don’t realize it. And when we do, it’s an opportunity to lean in and experience God’s sufficiency.
You do your part. You pray. You wait expectantly. But what can you control while you’re waiting?
- Your tongue. By this I mean, now is the time to be ruthlessly honest. Show up authentically with God and pour out your heart. (check out Psalm 6)
Tell Him how hard this is, but also recite what you are counting on to be true about Him. Remind Him and yourself that He will never leave you, He is able to do immeasurably more than you ask or imagine, He is all powerful, His timing is perfect…
When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you…
psalm42:6 Msg
Just this morning I received an email that hit me hard and brought me to tears. A door that I thought was clearly open, was shut. I journaled about it, saying it felt like a game of cat and mouse. I was honest about my disappointment, but then I went back to the verses that the Lord gave me in a similar time of disappointment.
This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? … [No!] So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?
matthew 7:9-11
I’ve combined a couple of thoughts from Lysa TerKeurst and Craig Groeschel and made them a mantra:
God is good.
God is good to me.
God is good at being God.
I don’t sit where He sits.
I don’t see what He sees.
I don’t know what He knows.
God loves me beyond what I can understand.
2. Your ears. Who and what are you listening to? Sarah Bessey uses the phrase “Guard your gates”. Imagine there is a gate protecting your mind. You get to decide what you open it to. If you guard your gates, then nothing will come into your mind and heart that you don’t want in there.
Consider turning off any t.v. show, radio station, podcast, or social media that draws your heart away from God and weakens your faith.
We can also share with friends who will help bear our burdens, and listen to wise godly counselors who will encourage us in our waiting. Might you share the “out of control” you’re trusting God for in the comments so we can pray for each other?
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As always, I’d love to have you join me over on Instagram! It’s my favorite place for small doses of joy and inspiration!
Laura, please know you are in our prayers as well. Even though we have never met, you are in my prayers. Not that I’m anyone significant, but as you know, we serve a God who certainly is. Hugs, prayers and blessings to you and your family.
Thank you so much, Laura! And you definitely ARE significant!