Imagine you go to your favorite theme park…

You get on the rollercoaster, buckle in and just like that, fear grips you.

Your natural response is to gain some control, so you grip the rail bars tighter and don’t look down.

Or maybe you keep your hands wide open and enjoy the experience.

If you’re anything like me, you grip your hands, close your eyes while shrinking into the seat and have millions of thoughts of survival going through your mind.

In those moments I’m regretting I got on…

But after it’s all over, I’m glad I did and want to go on again!

This is a glimpse of how we tend to live out our lives with God.

Either with a closed fist—wanting to be in control of all that’s happening out of fear.

Which is nothing more than mere momentary assurance.

Or, you have your hands unclasped—wide open with no worries of the unknown and no expectations—knowing that a Sovereign God has your life in His hands.

And, has fashioned all the strings and textures of your life so intricately like a beautiful tapestry.

While the former may appear to be most comfortable, I can tell you that God is after the latter.

He’s always after your faith!

And, He works all things for your good! (Romans 8:28)

God wants you to trust Him completely.

While it is easy to say you trust that God is Lord and you believe in Him, He’s asking you to also put your confidence in Him for all the complexities of your life.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

One phrase that you’ll commonly hear in most types of relationships is “just trust me.”

I know as a parent I say that a lot to my daughter when I’m trying to have her try something new that’s foreign to her.

As her mother I would never put her in harm’s way or have her try something that would hurt her, it’s the opposite!

I want her to find enjoyment from this something new.

It’s the same with God.

He wants to do good to us and takes pleasure in that while also bringing Himself the honor He’s due.

Who Are You Putting Your Trust In?

Recently, my friend wanted to go to lunch at a restaurant that served my least favorite food.

I went back and forth with her trying to convince her otherwise as I wanted us to pick something we both liked.

But because she knows me well, she knew that they had something that I would love despite my past experiences with this type of food.

I finally gave in, and you know what?

I ended up loving this specific food item she wanted me to try!

All along she kept saying to me, “Just trust me.”

But I thought I knew already what was best for me, so I wanted to control the situation.

This is what God is saying to us on a daily basis because He knows us!

He’s saying just to trust Him!

Trust Him with our:

• jobs
• kids
• finances
• marriage
• family relations
• school
• health

With absolutely everything!

God is saying to you, “Let go of your grip! Unclasp your hands and take Mine instead. Just trust Me!”

“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” -Proverbs 3:5-6

Personally speaking, it’s a scary place to come to terms with this, I understand.

The unknown can be so freighting!

But when the Lord restored my relationship with Him, that was one of the first and scariest things He had me do!

To relinquish control and choose to have faith over fear.

But it was necessary, and I wouldn’t be doing ANY of what I’m doing today without that step of faith.

It absolutely was the best decision of my entire life.

Yes, I might have closed my eyes tight and turned my head back, but my hands were wide open.

Is the cry of your heart, “God, have Your way?

Or, are you still refusing to let Him have complete control?

What Are You So Afraid Of?

There’s a beautiful song by Bethel Church called It Is Well; the words are few but powerful.

“Through it all, through it all, my eyes are on You…and through it all, through it all, it is well. So let go my soul and trust in Him, the waves and wind still know His name…”

So even though the waves and the wind may come into our lives in various forms of perceived trials, God is in control of them.

They are at the mercy of God, and nothing can touch or overtake you without the almighty God’s permission or approval.

When your life is held in the palms of His hands…you have no reason to be so afraid.

Allow yourself to get to that place where you say ever and over again, “It is well with my soul.”

Not because you know what you’re future holds, but because you serve a great God who does. 

He won’t pry open your hands to receive His plans for your life.

But He will always accept the invitation if you let Him in.

Key Takeaway

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11: 1-2

In the Bible was a former prostitute named Rahab who lived in a city that God commanded the Israelites to destroy and take over.

When Joshua and his men came into the city, fear gripped the people who lived there.

Rahab, however, showed a significant amount of courage and faith.

She didn’t know their God, but she heard about His mighty acts.

Instead of running, out of fear, she risked her own life by hiding the two Hebrew spies in her home.

Her act of faith enabled God’s plans to prevail, and her entire family was spared!

She could have easily turned the men in or hardened her heart against this foreign God.

She could have rejected them by just saying, “No.”

But she allowed her faith to be bigger than her fear.

Little did she know that God had a great plan for her life!

She was a woman shamed and looked down upon in society…

But not in the eyes of God!

He saw who she would become through His grace, mercy, and power.

God ended up blessing Rahab, and she became the great-grandmother to King David!

And eventually, her name was written down in the actual lineage leading up to the birth of King Jesus!

If Rahab was able to unclasp her hands at that moment and trust an unknown God, then how much more can you trust a God that you do know?!

Make this prayer the cry of your heart today:

“Pray, Dear Lord, it amazes me to think of the life You want to live through me. Help me to not stand in Your way. Teach me to unclasp my hands and allow Your Spirit to live through me. May I serve You faithfully, knowing that You will use me in ways I cannot imagine. May my faith be greater than any fears that confront me. Make Yourself known to me that I may begin to develop a relationship with You built on trust. In Jesus name, Amen.”