Releasing Control

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. – Psalm 37:23

It’s in our human nature to try and control our own lives – to fix what’s broken – to manipulate circumstances into an outcome that we deem favorable for us. And yet, the reality is “control is an illusion.” None of us can really control anything. In fact, the very things we try to control end up in a bigger mess. 

What we can do, however, is choose to place our lives in the hands of the only One who is in control. The One who knows better than we do and has the power to orchestrate our lives into a beautiful masterpiece – imperfections and all. 

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. – Proverbs 19:21

Why is it such a struggle to release control of our lives to God? I believe part of it is out of fear and our lack of trust in God and the other part is out of habit. We get used to trying to do it all on our own, and we need to learn a new way of living. The new way is a life of surrender. 

Maybe you’re like me –  the kind of person who sees a problem and tackles it head-on. If there’s a solution to be found you won’t rest until you find it. Well, friend, self-sufficiency has no place in our relationship with Christ. For Jesus to be Lord over our lives, we must release control. Paul said it best when he said, 

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” – Philippians 1:21

To surrender to Christ may seem difficult, but the reality is it’s totally freeing. Surrendering to Him releases us from striving. It frees us from the worry and stress of having to figure it all out. He already has. 

Maybe like me, you too struggle with trying to take back the reigns of your life. Sometimes, in my surrender to God, life will fly by and I’m like, “Wait a minute!! This is scary!!” It’s like being in a vehicle on autopilot and not having any control as you move towards a destination.  I’m not so sure I trust autopilot in a vehicle, but I do trust God as the pilot of my life. Sometimes I just have to remind myself He’s the perfect One and I can rest peacefully in His hands as He guides my life. Can you relate?

Recently as I contemplated my life, I questioned God. “God is this where I am supposed to be at this moment in my life? Am I fully walking out your will for me, Lord? What about these bumps in the road I’ve hit?”

As I had this heart to heart with the Lord, I heard His whisper, “Do I not order the steps of your life?” At these words, I saw moments of my life flashing before my eyes. Moments where God led me to make decisions that altered the course of my life for the better. Moments where He brought people into my path to say something that would nudge me in the direction He had me on. I saw in my mind, all these things that seemed like “little unimportant occurrences” in my life, that God used to keep me on course. “This was My hand ordering your steps,” He said. That day peace flooded my heart, and once again I released my concerns and my very life to Him.

It’s not wrong to ask God questions? He knows the questions of our hearts anyway. I’ve been reading the Psalms recently and I especially love the ones David wrote. David had conversation after conversation with God… crying out His pain, questioning things, seeking answers from God…and yet, always ending with surrender and complete worship to the Lord. Because of this, David was called a man after God’s own heart. Moses also had a relationship like this with the Lord and was called a friend of God (Exodus 33:11).  

This intimate relationship with the Father is actually the key to living a life of surrender. In getting to know the heart of our Father, we learn that trusting Him is the only way. When we surrender our lives to God, we can trust Him to order our steps. We can walk confidently, knowing that He is with us daily – opening doors for us to walk through, closing doors He wants us to avoid, placing people in our paths and circumstances in our lives that will nudge us on the course He has us on. We just have to follow after Him. Do we miss it at times? Of course. We all do. I have learned though, that if my heart is to follow after Him, He’ll get me back on track and He’ll do the same for you. We see this in Psalm 37:24:

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.

The answer to our struggle to release control is found in our personal relationship with God. Like David and Moses, draw closer to Him. Get to know His heart for you so that surrendering comes more naturally. So that when you struggle to take back control, you can hear the heart of your Father for you. In this, we can rest assured that the God that parted the Red sea, delivered His people time and time again, and sent His Son to secure our eternity with Him, is the very same God orchestrating the details of our lives today. He can be trusted. All we have to do is follow after Him.

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. – Psalm 37:5