Beyond Our Control - 5-Day DevotionalSample

When you face a circumstance you can’t control, it can feel disorienting to realize that you have much less power over your circumstances than you may have previously thought. Yet we can still have confidence because in the power of the gospel, we are given the freedom to embrace a Savior who is good and all-powerful. This should give us all the courage in the world to rest more easily in life’s vulnerable places, knowing that we are safe in our Father’s hands. When our identity is not in our own power and control, we can surrender to the one who is all-powerful, who is in control. We can be honest about our lack of control, knowing that by God’s grace we are okay. As we surrender and lean into our vulnerability, we better reflect God and his power and glory.

This is an invitation to consider the areas of our lives where we might be refusing to let go and surrender to what God is doing. To surrender means giving up control and handing it to someone else. It takes active intentionality to release the grip we have on what we think is best for ourselves, for our families, and for our circumstances. It means actively choosing to trust in God and to fully surrender to his plan.

Believers resist our heart’s natural tendency to find idols when we fill our hearts with Christ. When we seek a robust understanding of who God is in Scripture and surrender to him and what he has done for us in Christ, we surrender to the only thing worthy of our heart’s attention.

But surrender to something always requires a denial of other things—a denying of other idols, a denying of our very selves. As Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Surrendering to God means we deny the things of this world, and we deny ourselves and our selfish desires. It is choosing to submit to God’s authority in our lives.

Prayer

Father, please forgive me for holding tight to idols in my attempts to control my life. I surrender to your authority and trust in you. Amen.