God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah.
Psalms 46: 1-3 (NKJV)
Scripture: Psalm 46
We really can’t give God total control in our lives until we trust Him. Isn’t that what we think? But what if it needs to be the other way around? This devotion will look at how we can let God take control.
For a long time, I trusted God. But there was this one area where I wasn’t sure He was going to make sure everything turned out okay. It was my finances.
Through the years, money was always tight. I was the one who paid the bills in the family, and a lot of times it was really a struggle. I would go to pay bills, and the money I had earmarked for those bills was no longer in the account.
We were talking bankruptcy. We were talking selling the house. Bill collectors were calling, and I was pulling out my hair.
Something happened with the finances that broke the marriage. I got fed up, and I started out on my own. Then it was Adam and I.
Then I lost my job. Do you know how scary it is to be a single mother with no income?
I had to give God control because there was no way I was succeeding on my own. There was no other way.
Could Have Gone the Other Way
Well, yeah, there was. I could have denied God and thrown in with the devil. Satan is in control of this world, so if I would have denied God, everything would have gone back to being perfect, right?
No, it wouldn’t have. People who have not given their lives to God still experience trials. They still struggle with finances, go bankrupt, or have to sell what they own. They lose their jobs. They still get sick and die.
So, throwing in with the devil does not put you on Easy Street. As much as I could feel the devil tempting me to denounce God, I knew that was not the answer.
I had to cling tighter to God. I had to give God control even if I questioned my trust for Him.
I had to say, “Okay, I thought I heard You loud and clear that I needed to be going the way I was. You have made this train jump the track, and now I have no clue as to where it is headed.
“But You do. You know the plan all the way to the end of the line. You know what steps I should take. So, I will give You control of my life. While You are doing that, I will face my fears, and my trust in You will grow.”
How Do We Apply This?
How do we give God control of our lives? We make the decision to believe He loves us and will provide and protect us. Think about all of the verses that point that out:
“My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God” (Ps. 62:7 HCSB).
“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Ps. 18: 2 NIV).
“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word” (Ps. 119: 114 ESV).
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19 ESV).
“Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out” (I Cor. 10: 13 GNT).
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73: 26 NIV).
It isn’t easy giving God control when our trust isn’t up to where it should be. It’s really, really hard. It is down right scary.
But life is filled with choices, and this is one of the most important. We choose to give God control — or choose not to give Him control. We don’t have to understand what is happening and how He will provide.
Our faith doesn’t even have to seem to be all that great. Remember Luke 17: 6: “And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (ESV).
But really, there aren’t degrees of faith, just as there aren’t degrees of sin. We believe in God or we don’t.
To read Are There Good and Bad Sins, click the button below.
So, it doesn’t really matter how strong we think our faith is. We have to work on our trust. We just have to say, “God, You are my God. You are my Protector. You’ve got this.”
Merciful Heavenly Father. From the beginning of time, You have know all of us. You have known our faults, our failures, and our insecurities. And You love us anyway. You have a plan for each of our lives, based on our choices. Forgive us when our insecurities limit our ability to see Your awesome power. Even though they are hard, keep putting us in situations where we must rely on You. Thank You for loving us so much. Amen.
What do you think? Does faith build trust or does trust build faith? Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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