Anyone who comes in contact with me knows I am a control freak. I like things being done my way and my way only. Whether it’s at school, work, home, or wherever, I like to be in charge of myself and my surroundings.
This makes it tough to trust in God because putting my faith in Him means giving Him all of me so that He can be in charge.
I am not the Lord of my life; Jesus is. But, I am so content in this fact because I know that I would fail time and time again. There are two reasons that I have this confidence in submitting to Christ.
1. My “good” is not His “good”
If I was God, all of my desires would be met. I would be a whole lot richer, taller, smarter, and funnier. I would be more athletic, more popular, and more outgoing. All of the tough, harmful situations I have experienced would not have happened.
But, what I think is best for me is not always what is a part of God’s plan for me. Paul writes in Romans,
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” -Romans 8:28 (ESV)
All things will work together for His good, not mine. Everything that has happened in my life, the good, the bad, and the ugly, has shaped me to be the person I am today. Looking back on it, everything has been for my benefit whether I realized it then or not.
God created us individually, and we are beautifully made in His image. All the things we wish we could change about ourselves are so unimportant compared to how much He loves us. Never forget that.
2. My “end” is not His “end”
Numerous times, I reach the point where I just want to give up. I feel like there is no hope in my life, no purpose to remain alive, no reason to breathe another breath.
But when I reach my end, God shows me that He’s not done with me. He is far greater than all of my doubts, fears, and failures. He never lets me go. He redeems me when I go astray, and His love never fails.
He is my rock, my refuge, my hope, my life, and without Him I would be broken and lost.
An incredible story of Jonah shows how God is truly in control.
Jonah was told by God to go preach to the evil city of Ninevah. But Jonah was afraid, and he rebelled against the Lord. He believed that what God set before him was not good for him, so Jonah fled on a ship going the opposite direction.
But God sent a storm onto the ship, and Jonah fell into the deeps of the sea. He was swallowed up by a whale and spent three horrific days in constant torment. But God was not done with him. Jonah writes,
“To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.” -Jonah 2:6 (NIV)
When Jonah thought his life was over, God showed just how powerful and loving He is. God commanded the fish to spit Jonah up on shore, and Jonah went to Ninevah. The whole city repented.
It was all a part of God’s plan- not Jonah’s plan.
So, what we think is best for us is not always what God’s plan is for us, and when we think we are at our end, God shows that He is not done with us.
I thank God I’m not God because He is far greater than I.
