What will it take for you to let God be in charge?
Recently I was talking to my friend Paul about my goals and aspirations for life and I said among other things that I want to be in tune with God, to let God be in control in my life.
And of course he asked me what I meant by that. At first I wasn’t quite sure how to put it into words. He really liked the idea and pointed out that to be “in tune” is a musical term. Being in tune has a lot to do with rhythm and timing, being in sync with the music and other musicians if you’re playing with others.
Paul kept asking me what I meant by being in tune with God. I knew what I meant, but as I was thinking of fresh ways to explain it, an odd expression popped out of my mouth. I said: It means to let God be in control, to be in step or in sync with God, to let God happen instead of me trying to make things happen. The phrase that jumped out at both of us was: Let God happen.
It’s kind of an odd phrase and not the way I would normally express this idea of letting God be in control, letting go of my will so I can see what God is doing, but it’s given me a lot to think about.
Quit trying to “make” things happen
How often have you done everything you could to make something come out the way you wanted it but weren’t completely trusting in God in the process. Maybe you trusted in how smart or strong you were, how much money you had, the people you knew who would help you, or something else.
Now there’s nothing wrong with being strong and smart, having resources at your disposal, and knowing helpful people. These are gifts from God. But if you’re trusting in these things, yourself, or other people instead of trusting in God, the outcome is probably not going to be as desirable.
In fact, the Bible has lots of stories of people who took things into their own hands instead of trusting in and waiting on or for God.
Sarai did not let God be in control
The first person who comes to mind who got impatient with God and tried to hurry things up with her own plan is Sarai, Abram’s wife. Undoubtedly she knew of the promise God had made her husband, that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars
He [God] took him [Abram] outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Genesis 15:5 NIV
But Sarai had never had children and was around 80 years old at the time. In her mind, there was no way she could be a mother. So, she concocted a plan for her husband to have a child with her female slave, Hagar.
she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. Genesis 16:2 NIV
And so Abram had a son with Hagar, Ishmael. But things didn’t go as Sarai had planned. She was jealous of Hagar and it didn’t really work out for her to pretend Ishmael was her son.
Law of the harvest
You could say that the law of the harvest was in operation here: You reap what you sew. Sarai stepped in trying to make God’s plan happen, when she really should have been more trusting and patient to see how God would make things happen the way He had planned.
You know the story, Saria’s name is changed to Sarah and she becomes pregnant and gives birth to Isaac at the age of 90. God did keep his promise after all.
What would have happened if Sarah had waited patiently and trusted God to carry out His plan? What if she had let God happen, to use my odd new phrase, instead of trying to make things happen herself?
There’s no way to know how her life would have been very different and how the course of history would have been changed.
The point is, when you trust or don’t trust God to carry out His plan, it can have an immediate effect on your life, but it can also have an effect on those around you, and far reaching effects into the future.
King Saul did not let God be in charge
Another example of someone who tried to push things along, and it doesn’t always get talked about, is one time when King Saul took his army out to fight the Philistines
When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.” “There is one in Endor,” they said. So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.” 1 Samuel 28:5-8 NIV
What you may not remember is that Saul had banished all mediums, the people who claimed they could communicate with the spirits of those who had died.
But when he had tried to seek God’s guidance, the fear of the Philistine army was so great, he wasn’t patient enough to wait for an answer from God. Yes, he did inquire of God several different ways, but didn’t get an answer.
Waiting patiently to let God guide you
Now, as I like to say, I wasn’t there. I don’t know exactly what was going on in Saul’s mind, but is it possible he was a bit like Sarai and thought he had to take things into his own hands instead of waiting a little more patiently for God’s direction?
He ended up turning to something that revealed his lack of trust in God, a practice which he had banned, communicating with the spirits of those who had died. What if he had turned to God four more, or 10 more times, or whatever it took to get an answer from God? What if he had kept asking God until he got an answer?
What a difference it would have made for Saul and the whole kingdom of Israel. But of course, that didn’t happen. He took things into his own hands. And then David became king in Saul’s place.
The point you and I need to think about is that the choices we make to trust God, to let God do things in His way on His timetable, usually in the short run and always in the long run, put us in a much better place.
Elizabeth and Zechariah
As a counterpoint to the story of Sarai trying to orchestrate the fulfillment of God’s promise that Abram would have as many descendants at there were stars, let’s look at a somewhat similar situation, the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, in the New Testament. You can read about this in Chapter 1 of Luke, beginning verse 5.
Just like Abram and Sarai, Zechariah and Elizabeth were quite elderly. And just like Sarai, Elizabeth had not been able to have children.
They had been praying to have children, for many years no doubt, but it didn’t seem like those prayers would ever be answered. I wonder what they thought about, or if they ever talked about, the story of Sarai telling Abram to have a child through Hagar. I would imagine they could relate to that story in a way most people could not.
But they were faithful to each other and faithful to God, waiting patiently on Him and surrendering to His way of doing things.
And out of the blue one day, the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah and says
“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. Luke 1:13 NIV
Zechariah and Elizabeth’s patience and trust in God paid off. They would have a son after all human hope had long been gone. And this trust brought blessings far beyond the joy of this elderly couple finally having a child. Their son grew up to be John the Baptist, who would prepare the way people for Jesus to teach, heal, and preach to people the way of salvation.
You and I and countless others are still being blessed by Elizabeth and Zechariah’s faithfulness, patience, and trust in God.
When I’ve trusted in and let God be in charge
I’ve noticed over many years that there are two main types of situations when I put all my trust in God. The first one is when I have tried everything I can think of and I finally turn to God because all my efforts have amounted to nothing and sometimes even made things worse. In humility, I’ve had to surrender to God and ask for His help and guidance. And it has always come.
Here’s just one example. Years ago, I had to make a crucial decision about which life path I would follow. All the options were good. I just didn’t know which one was the best or what I wanted to do the most. For weeks I debated with myself about which option to pursue. I had lists of the pros and cons of each decision and I changed my mind probably a dozen times during those few weeks.
I kept thinking I was going to figure this out. But I finally realized I had no way of knowing which was the best option for me. I finally surrendered completely to God and gave up trying to make a decision on my own.
I admitted to God I didn’t know what to do and that I needed His help. Oh, I had been praying, but it hadn’t been a prayer of humility and surrender. It was a prayer of entitlement, of what I thought I deserved.
I let God answer my question
Suddenly, a question popped into my mind and it actually became a prayer which required me to listen to God instead of telling Him what to do.
I asked God: What will bless the most in the long run?
The answer came instantly. And it was one of the answers I had already considered. But this time the answer came from God instead of my human will. What a difference I felt. I knew this was the right thing to do and immediately took steps to go forward with it.
And it has indeed blessed me in so many ways over many years. I honestly believe if I had made the same choice by human will, instead of surrendering to God, it would not have been such a big blessing to me and others.
Fortunately in this case I eventually turned to God for guidance. But what if we could do that from the very first moment when we need help in a given situation or challenge.
And that’s the second way I’ve turned to God for guidance, right from the start.
Jehoshaphat let God fight his battle
There are lots of examples of people in the Bible who had to trust in God to solve a problem because they realized they couldn’t do it themselves.
I love the story in the Old Testament when messengers told King Jehoshaphat the Moabites, the Ammonites, and others had joined forces and were coming to fight him. You can read this story in 2 Chronicles, Chapter 20.
Jehoshaphat’s immediate response was to turn to God.
Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 2 Chronicles 20:3 NIV
The king didn’t just turn to God himself. He included everyone in the kingdom of Judah proclaiming a fast so everyone would participate in turning to God for help.
A good example for us
This is a really good example for you and me. Do you immediately turn to God when a challenge comes up or do you try to solve it yourself first? Do you encourage others who are involved to participate and pray with you for God’s help?
As Jehoshaphat stood in the presence of all the men and women of Judah, along with their children, he appealed to God’s power and glory and His relationship with the children of Israel.
Suddenly, God spoke through a fellow named Jahaziel.
He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’ ” 2 Chronicles 20:15, 17 NIV
Do you let God be in charge?
Think back on a time when you had an important choice to make or were facing a challenge of some sort.
Did you turn instantly to God for help and guidance? Or did you first try to figure things out for yourself?
If you did turn to God immediately, did you get an answer or did you have to keep asking God for help, surrendering your will, and listening for God’s direction? Did you ever give up and try another path or did you stay faithful and wait until God directed your steps?
If you did try to find the solution on your own or if you turned to God but became impatient because you didn’t get an answer and took matters into your own hands, I encourage you to revisit that situation and, in your mind, imagine what you could have done differently. In fact, in your mind, act out how you could have turned to God more quickly or been more patient in waiting for His answers and guidance.
Obviously you can’t change what happened in the past, but when I have gone through this little mental exercise of revisiting something from the past and considering how I could have responded differently, it actually helps me when a similar situation comes up in the future.
Jesus let God do his work
The very best example in the Bible of someone who didn’t rely on his own abilities to solve problems or figure things out is Jesus.
It still amazes me that Jesus could say, referring to himself,
Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will. John 5:19, 30 NIV
And he adds later on:
For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say. John 12:49, 50 NIV
Jesus didn’t try to do things on his own, with his own will or his own abilities. He relied completely on what God was doing and saying.
That is the best model for you and me today.
How will you let God be in charge of your life?
What is going on in your life right now that you need to quit trying to figure on your own how to make things happen the way you want them to? What’s going on in your life that you need to let God be in charge of?
Is there anything you know you should turn over to God to take care of but you think there’s still something you could try to make work before you completely surrender to God and whatever His solution may be?
What would have happened if King Jehoshaphat hadn’t turned to God for help so immediately? He could have tried to get his army together or reached out to neighboring kings to help him. But that might have taken too long. He turned to God first, without hesitation. And it was exactly what needed to happen. And he involve everyone else in the process.
Let God be God
It really boils down to letting God be God. Now, that doesn’t mean that God is dependent on you giving Him permission to be Himself. It means within your own thinking, deep down in your consciousness, you relinquish any and all traces of believing you can do something without God’s help or that you are in control instead of God. It’s the absolute acknowledgement and admission that God is the One who has and is the solution to every problem.
When you let God be God, when you let God happen, to use my funny little phrase, you’re getting yourself out of the way and not insisting you are responsible for the solution to a problem.
You can surrender to God
Over the years I’ve talked to so many people who feel a deep need to be in control of things and they struggle with letting go of this, letting God be in control. If this is something you’re dealing with, I want to assure you that you do have the ability to surrender to God, to let God be God, to learn to watch and listen for what God is doing and saying.
You may need to start with baby steps and just surrender one thing before going on to something else. But take that first step. Yes, I know, it may be hard. And you may do the exact same thing you would have done, but when you do it because God told you to, instead of because of your need to be in control, you’ll feel a freedom and joy like you’ve never felt before.
Sometimes you may just need to just go sit out in nature somewhere away from everything with no agenda, without trying to accomplish anything and just be still. Take in and observe all God has done and is doing.
And God just might give you an idea you never would have thought of that brings more blessings than you can imagine.
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and church mentor. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by learning to think, pray, and love like Jesus. Contact him here.
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Bible References
Genesis 15:5 NIV
5 He [God] took him [Abram] outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Genesis 16:2 NIV
2 she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.
1 Samuel 28:5-8 NIV
5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart.
6 He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.
7 Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.” “There is one in Endor,” they said.
8 So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”
Luke 1:13 NIV
13 “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
2 Chronicles 20:3 NIV
3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.
2 Chronicles 20:15, 17 NIV
15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’ ”
John 5:19, 30 NIV
19 Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
30 I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.
John 12:49, 50 NIV
49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.
50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.
