We all want to know God’s will for our lives. Sometimes it may seem like a mystery we’re trying to figure out, as we try to make the perfect decision to move forward and hope that God is in it.
For those who are planners, we tend to first plan our next moves, then we take it to God. When it should be the other way around.
Planning for the future to try to minimize bumps along the road may appear right, but it puts us in charge of creating our own destiny. We start believing that the right turns will take us to where we’re meant to be, which doesn’t always turn out that way.
For that reason, I’d like to stop and think of our motives.
When we truly rely on God to take us where he wants to take us, then stress, anxiety, and busyness are not controlling our lives. If God is truly in control, our hope is fully in him and peace overwhelms our atmosphere no matter what’s happening around us.
When God is truly in control, we trust in this…
His faithfulness
We trust that God will come through because he promised to never leave us. Every promise in the Bible will come through at his timing. We trust that He will do what He says He will do.
“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24
His truth
We trust in His truth because we know that God is not like men. He will never lie to us. If the Bible demonstrates God’s faithfulness, we can believe it’s true.
“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
Numbers 23:19
His goodness
We serve a God who wants good things for His children. The Word says he wants to give us “hope and a future”. We can live feeling secure that God’s intentions for us are not harmful. In other words, we can sleep in peace at night.
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
Jeremiah 29:11
It’s in God’s nature to offer good things to those who walk in righteousness.
Psalm 84:11 says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
His grace
God will give us more than we deserve. Translated, grace means the free favor of God. We don’t have to do anything to prove to God we deserve his goodness because the Gospel demonstrates God’s love for us through Jesus.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:8-10
Finding purpose in surrendering
Those attributes of God help us give up control in areas we continue to stress over. We must surrender and give up the path we’ve created for ourselves. Instead, let’s let God guide us.
Instead of doing it with our own strength, we are letting God take the lead. If it works, it works, but if it doesn’t – God is still in control, and we haven’t lost our peace. Let’s remember that God is the one that promotes and causes growth.
Instead of rushing and worrying over the next thing, we’re leaving everything in His hands because time belongs to him, and his will is perfect.
Are you ready to give God control over your entire life?
We must remember that giving up control is a process we practice every moment of our lives. It’s a decision we take now, but it’s also a continuous one we must take every day. The more we let Him into our schedules, the more we can experience the life He has for us.
This means we will be worry-free because we’re under his wings. Even when things don’t seem like they’re working out, we must continue trusting Him.
Let’s keep going and not give up hope that what God has promised will come to fulfillment.
Hebrews 6:10-12 says, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
Request for prayer
God, I surrender my entire life to you. I surrender the control I believe I have over my situation. Forgive me for thinking my will is better than what you have for me. Forgive me for not trusting you. Help me to trust and believe that your promises will come to pass in my life and family. I trust in your Word, that you are truthful, and what you promised you will fulfill. I believe in your goodness, and surrender being afraid of what the future holds. I trust that you will give my life favor and honor as I walk in righteousness. Also, I surrender any feeling of unworthiness. Your word says that you created us to do good works, so I trust that you will use me as an instrument for your Kingdom. Give me the strength, faith, and patience to fulfill the plan you’ve written for my life. In the name of Jesus, Amen.