So many of us go through stages in our walk with God where we ask Him to work in some way and just when we start to see Him answer our prayers or move the needle in our direction, we ASSUME we know where it’s going and try to take back control.
The problem with this is that often times, we may THINK we know what God will do next, but He can be very unpredictable. Why? Because His ways are above our ways.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.”
Isaiah 55:8 NASB
If you think about it, I’ll bet you can think of a time or two that you thought you knew how a situation was going to play out and it ended up completely different, or even better than you could’ve imagined? I think this is one of the biggest areas that can stretch and grow our faith because it forces us to completely rely on God when the future or end result is unknown.
So Why Do We Do This In The First Place?
It all comes down to control. As human beings, we crave control. If you think about it, we’re all a little bit of a control freak over one thing or another. We like our food the way we want it, we like to control our schedules, our time and what we do with it, our possessions, our entire lives, really.
The problem with that is that trusting in God REQUIRES us to give up that control. Not just of one thing, but of EVERYTHING. He wants all of us, and when you understand that everything we have really belongs to Him, I think that release of control gets a little easier.
We are called to be good stewards of the things that God gives us in this life. That includes our families, our children, our wealth, our gifts and talents, and even our material possessions.
“The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true wealth to you?”
Luke 16:10-11 NASB2020
It Really Comes Down To A Lack Of Faith
When we really think about it, trusting God in the beginning when we don’t know which way to go is logical. Our human brains can recognize when something is beyond us and we may be more willing to give up control at that point because we don’t really know how to solve our own problem in the first place.
But as soon as we get a glimpse of where a situation may be headed and we try to take back that control, we are really saying that we don’t trust God to finish it. I know that sounds harsh, but if you really think about it, it’s true.
Think about why you take control of anything else in your life. It usually comes down to the fact that you don’t trust others to finish the job. I can think of countless examples of situations in my life from group projects in school to tasks that needed done in the workplace where often there is lack of forward movement, or doubt of finishing something and I would take control to make sure it got done.
But going back to my earlier point, HIS WAYS ARE NOT OUR WAYS!!
I can’t say it enough! He knows everything. He knows how this situation will affect that situation and how this change in our life affects that person’s life and He’s constantly working it all together for our good.
Who wants that responsibility?!
Understanding your role as a steward in God’s kingdom, rather than the owner, is honestly a huge relief to me. Allowing Him to work in ways that I know I can’t understand and trusting that if I need to know, it will be revealed to me in his timing, helps me let go of some of that.
On the same note, we need to trust that if something isn’t happening, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we need to take control, but maybe that it’s just waiting for His timing.
I’ve gone through lots of situations where I felt like I was waiting forever to God to move, even knowing that He specifically wanted me to wait it out. Then, I would find out later that someone else was working through something at the time and was going to come along side me for the next chapter. Sometimes it’s not even about us.
So How Do We Allow God To Have The Follow Through?
Just like giving God other parts of our lives, we have to allow Him to not only start the work, but also finish the work in us. We have to trust Him entirely through the process and know that if the timing or circumstances don’t look how we expect, there is a reason for it, even if we don’t understand it or can’t see it at the time.
“And the Lord is the One who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 NASB2020
