Let God Be God

Every day, you have to decide who’s going to be in control of your life, you or God. That choice is a battle. There are things in your life that you want to control; you want to make your own rules. But stress relief always starts with letting God be God. It always starts with saying, “God, I’m giving up control, because you can control the things that are out of control in my life.”

Psalm 46:10 says, “Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth” (GW). I don’t know what you’re going to face in the next week. You don’t either. But I can tell you what God wants you to do: Let go of control, and know that God is in control. This is the first step to life serenity.

Whenever people face out-of-control situations, we go to one of two extremes. For some, the more out-of-control your life gets, the harder you try to control it. Others do the exact opposite: You just give up! Both of those reactions to stress are foolish. Instead of being a victim or becoming hyper-controlling, you need to pray a prayer of surrender.

Why surrender? The number one reason you’re under stress is because you’re in conflict with God. You’re trying to control things that only God can control. You can’t control your spouse, your kids, your job, your future, your past, etc. The more you try, the more you’re trying to play God, and that puts you in opposition to God. Not only are you going to lose, but you’ll be tired.

Millions of people pray the “Serenity Prayer”, which is based on the Lord’s Prayer, but most have never read the entire prayer. They just know the opening line: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. The rest of the prayer is: “Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking as Jesus did this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to his will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with him forever in the next. Amen.”

That’s where the power is! There is power when you surrender to God the very things you’ve been trying to control.