“Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth.” Psalm 46:10 (GW)
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 already tell you what God wants you to do: Let go and know.
Let go of control, and know that God is in control. Let go and know! This is the first step to serenity in your life.
Whenever people face out-of-control situations, we tend to go to one of two extremes. For some people, the more out-of-control your life gets, the harder you try to control it. Others do the exact opposite: You just give up! You have a pity party and invite yourself to it.
Both of those reactions to stress are foolish. They don’t work. 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 or your kids or your job or your future or your past or any of that stuff. 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 that conflict, but you’re also going to be tired.
Millions of people pray the Serenity Prayer, which is based on the Lord’s Prayer, but most have never read the last eight lines to the prayer. It essentially says: “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 your will so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you 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.
Talk It Over
How do you normally react to stress in your life? How do you think God wants you to respond?
What are the results—physical, emotional, and spiritual—when you surrender to God the things you want to control?
In practical terms, what does it mean to live “one day at a time”?
Ready to pray the ultimate prayer of surrender?
If you’ve never surrendered your life to Jesus, accepting him as your Lord and Savior, why not do it now? You can let God know you want to follow Jesus by praying:
“Dear God, I know I’ve sinned, and I don’t deserve your love. But you loved me so much that you sent Jesus to die for me. I believe in him, and I trust that through him, I can have eternal life. Please forgive me for my sins—for making my own rules and trying to control things that I can’t control. I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and I give my life to him. Thank you for loving me, saving me, and giving me a fresh start. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.
