Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Do you feel like you have your life under control? If you ask me that, on most days I would give you a big, resounding no. I feel like I spend all day most days just trying to get life under control. Trying to get my schedule under control. My wife and I are trying to regain control of our house from our crazy and cute kids, trying to control our finances as bills come in the mail.
It all feels like we're just grasping at straws when it comes to control. But do you know what? Maybe that's the point. Maybe we're not supposed to feel like we're in control, but maybe that sense of feeling like we're not in control is the exact thing that we need to drive us closer to God.
David's Prayer for Control
In Psalm 141, David is crying out to the Lord for help. I want to read to you specifically what he says in Psalm chapter 141, verse 3. He says, "Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips." When David is feeling frantic, he doesn't want control. He actually tells the Lord, please take control of what I say. Keep me on the path that follows You.
I think most of us want to believe we've given God control of all areas of our lives. Let's be honest and think, what are some of the things that we just haven't let go of? It's not to make you feel bad. We all struggle with it because control gives us a sense of safety.
The Bad Driver Analogy
Have you ever driven in the car with somebody who's not the best driver? I used to have a close friend that every time he and I were driving somewhere and he was driving, he would look at me while he was talking. He would break his eyes from the road and maintain eye contact with me. There were a couple of times where I'm like, hey, you have to stop, and we barely missed getting in an accident. It's that nervousness that says, just let me drive. When it comes to our lives and God, the safest driver is Him. We want Him to have control.
Learning to Walk with God
Think about it like this. My kids are getting older, and I've watched two of them learn how to walk, and now the third is getting really ready for it. He's crawling around the house and you can see he's trying at least to pull himself up so that he can start working on that balance. One of his favorite things right now is when I grab his hands and he holds my fingers and he takes these little steps forward, and he starts to giggle, and he gets so excited and he's so proud of himself. His foot will get stuck, so I'll just give it a little tap with my foot and he'll keep moving forward. One step at a time. He loves doing this as he grows.
Can you imagine what would happen if I gave him full control? He'd fall. He'd get hurt. It's actually control that he wants to give to me because it means stability. It's why his little fingers grasp on to my fingers. He knows this means stability.
What We Really Want
That's what our hearts actually want. If we put that anywhere but God, we're never going to find it. If you feel like you're trying to gain control of your life, the best thing I can offer you is to simply stop. Stop trying to take control and give it to God because He's our helper. He's the selfless servant. He's the one who holds the universe in the spans of His hands.
While we think we want control, what we actually want is stability. The best way to get that is to give full control over to God.
