Who is in control?

Everyone likes to be in control, there is no denying of that. Everyone wants to control their own life, make their own decisions, sometimes we even try to affect other people's decisions to be the way we want it to be. I realized recently that we can try our hardest to take control, we can do everything in our power to try to affect an outcome, but the end result is not in our control at all. A simple example is planting a seed in the ground. We plant the seed in the soil, we water it, we add fertilizer, we give it sunshine, we do everything we can to make it grow. But whether it actually grows or not is not in our control at all.

And what is the result of this desperate need to be in control? Frustration and stress. When things don't go our way, we are frustrated with ourselves, with others, and with God. Sometimes we begin to question our abilities and our own value. Then we become stressed trying to do better, trying to change the outcome, and and trying to change ourselves.

The solution to this is very simple, we need to realize that God is in control of all things. We need to kneel down before Him and pray because really, a lot of times, there is nothing we can do but pray. Even Jesus prayed when He was in distress:

"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, he said to them, stay here and keep watch. Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed..." Mark 14:34-35

We need to follow Jesus's example. When our heart is burdened, let us come before God and pray to Him. God cares about us so much that He wants to bear our anxieties for us.

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

A lot of times it takes a lot of faith to relinquish that control and to trust in God. But we can count on Him to keep His promises. After all He has never once broke a promise He made. God reminded us in Jeremiah that He has plans for us, and it is so comforting to know that  the plans are all for our benefit. These plans are made by us, but they are in God's control.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

So what do we have to do? All we have to do is let God be the driver in your life, let Him take the wheel. 

 
So relax, and let God take control.