Genesis 22:15-18
The Lord’s angel called out from heaven a second time:
You were willing to offer the Lord your only son, and so he makes you this solemn promise, “I will bless you and give you such a large family, that someday your descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand along the beach. They will defeat their enemies and take over the cities where their enemies live. You have obeyed me, and so you and your descendants will be a blessing to all nations on earth.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Recently, I spoke with a friend who is really hurting over circumstances in her life. She shared her feelings of hopelessness… how she cannot seem to visualize any positive outcomes. I encouraged her not to give up… to keep believing. She said, “I know you pray for me… and believe me, I am praying. But I don’t feel like anything is changing.” My question to her was this… “When you pray, do you truly give this to God – or are you still trying to control the outcome?”
Unless we are fully obedient to God - like Abraham was… unless we surrender when we pray and say, “LORD… I can’t fix this… You will have to” – and mean it – we have not fully released the power and blessings of God. We have failed to give Him the room – and the license – to operate absolutely in our lives. God wants to bless us. He wants to shower us with His love, grace, and mercy. But God will not force Himself upon us. And if we are not totally in… we can’t expect Him to be, either.
Don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that God will not work in your life and help you with your challenges, worries and concerns. I am in no way suggesting that God delights in watching us suffer or grieve over certain situations. But God doesn’t want lip service. In order to altogether realize His blessings and power, we must be willing to completely surrender our supposed abilities to fix things and let Him have total control. We must be willing to do whatever He says… even when our gut tells us that this is wrong, wrong, wrong!
I seriously doubt that God will ever tell any of us to place our first-born child on an altar and kill him/her. But He very well might tell us to walk away from a toxic relationship, to allow someone to wallow in their self-pity and pain for a while, or to give up a dream we have had for a long time that doesn’t fit into His plans for our lives. God might have another career in mind for you… want you living in another location… or hanging out with a totally different group of friends. He may allow you to hurt and grieve for a season in order to grow and better appreciate the amazing gifts He has in store for you.
When we are mired in deep despair or frustration, I sometimes imagine God sitting back with folded arms, smiling sweetly and saying, “Oh, if only you could see what I’m about to give you!” The key to truly experiencing God is to let go and give Him full control. Stop trying to fix things on your own. If you are going to ask God to help you with your issues, you have to honestly believe that He can – and that He will! Trust me…He knows whether you are filled with faith or skepticism.
I know it’s a corny cliché, but “let go and let GOD!” He’s waiting to pour out amazing favor on your life. Won’t you give Him room to work?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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