Isn’t it easy to plan a trip of any kind and get all the details taken care off and then pray and ask God to lead you on this trip? You’ve made all the reservations for the rooms, the raft trip, where you are going to eat and most of the details. Should be a great trip you tell yourself because you’ve got it under control. Somewhere along the way we never seem to have gotten the memo about trusting God and releasing control. Oh, but wait, I believe we do have that one. Just think about what Jesus says in Luke 9:57-62. These are the people who say they want to trust God but also want to hang on to some control.
In 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 Paul lists the hardships he and others encountered on the “non’cruise line” trip. This and other trips like it tested everything in these guys. Could they really trust God to meet their needs and take care of them? They could have thought about their funerals, but they knew God would take care of them. They had released their control.
When we get to a place where it seems beyond our ability to endure or we have despaired of life or anything we can control, then and only then does trust mean anything. God’s strong and unending purpose is to get us to where we are not in control; that is where we do not rely on ourselves but on Him.
What’s the hardest thing for you to not control? What are you afraid of and what does this teach you about yourself?