We
watch news headlines, monitor bank accounts, track health symptoms, and feel
the weight of all the variables we can't manage. The illusion of control slips
through our fingers daily, leaving us exhausted from trying to hold it all
together.
Sound
familiar? If you're nodding your head right now, you're not alone. Anxiety has
become the background noise of modern life, humming constantly in the back of
our minds. We check our phones obsessively. We replay conversations, wondering
if we said the wrong thing. We lie awake at night running through worst-case
scenarios, trying to prepare for every possible outcome. Embracing God's
sovereignty can help us find peace amid this chaos because it shifts our focus
from control to trust in His plan.
The
truth is, anxiety feeds on this exact feeling—the sense that everything is
spinning out of control and it's somehow our job to hold it all together. But
what if we're operating under a false assumption? What if the problem isn't
that things are out of control, but that we've convinced ourselves they need to
be under our control?
All
Things—Not Just the Good Things
Consider
Paul's remarkable confidence in Romans 8:28: "And
we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for
those who are called according to his purpose." Read that again,
slowly. Not "some
things" or "the things we understand"—ALL things. Even
the hard stuff. Even the confusing things. Even the things that hurt.
This
isn't toxic positivity or spiritual bypassing. Paul isn't suggesting we slap a
happy face sticker on genuine suffering. He wrote this letter while facing
persecution, imprisonment, and constant danger. He knew hardship intimately.
Yet he could say with confidence that God was working through it all—not
despite the chaos, but because of His love and sovereignty, which are always
working for our good.
Think
about the stories in Scripture. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers. Moses is
leading a grumbling nation through the wilderness. David hid in caves while
running from Saul. Esther is facing potential death to save her people. None of
these situations felt "under control" in the moment. But looking
back, we can see God's hand weaving every thread into a bigger tapestry than
any of them could have imagined.
Trading
Control for Trust
Here's
where the freedom comes: The circumstances may feel out of control. But they're
not out of HIS control, which should fill you with reassurance and peace. And
that changes everything. Pastor and Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll stated, "Anything
under God’s control is never out of control.”
When
we recognize that God is sovereign—not just theoretically, but actually at work
in the chaos of our daily lives—we can finally exhale. We don't have to
white-knuckle our way through life anymore. We don't need contingency plans for
our contingency plans. We can let go because we trust whose hands are actually
holding everything together.
This
doesn't mean we become passive or irresponsible. We still do our part—we still
work hard, make wise decisions, and steward what God has entrusted to us. But
we do it from a place of rest instead of panic. We act with intention instead
of anxiety. We plan with wisdom instead of worry.
The
difference is where our confidence lies. Are we trusting in our ability to
manage every variable? Or are we trusting in God's promise that He's working
all things together for our good? Trusting in His plan can bring hope and peace
to your heart.
Today,
whatever feels out of control in your life—the relationship that's strained,
the uncertain job situation, the health concern that's worrying you—remember
this: it may be beyond your control, but it's not beyond His. And the God who
promises to work all things together for good is the same God who loved you
enough to send His Son. That should inspire love and gratitude, making Him
worth trusting.
You
can let go now. He got this. May the Lord bless you and keep you, and may the
Lord use these words to renew your spirit.
Pastor Dimas
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