The Battle for Control

   Control. We all want it. It's human nature to want to be in control of our lives. To want to steer our "destiny" in the way we want it to go. 

   "I know what's best for me!" Something I've said to myself more times that I can count. "If I can just change this one area of my life, everything else will fall into place!" It never does; not because we aren't trying hard enough, but because maybe we're trying too hard...

The Quicksand Effect

   Have you ever seen a movie that takes place in the jungle? A character falls into some quicksand. He struggles to get out, but the more he does so, the more he sinks. Before he knows it, he's literally in over his head. But if the character calms down, takes a deep breath, and thinks rationally, it takes a lot longer for the quicksand to do it's thing, giving the character enough time to find help. 

   That's a lot like how it works in our life. We want things to work out just right. So we struggle, we fight, we work so hard to get our lives under control. We don't even realize that we're starting to sink, so to speak. Before we know it everything's a messing. But when we stop and say "Lord, I need your help," then God will come down and help us out. 

Giving Up the Controls

   We need to learn to give God control over our lives. Not just parts of it, all of it. This is something I am learning. And I've gotta tell you, it is not easy, especially as a guy. We just want to fix everything ourselves. We let our pride get in the way. That's why we don't like to stop and ask for directions. Asking for somebody else's help is just too embarrassing. It makes us look as though we're incapable of doing anything... or so we think. What we fail to realize is that admitting that we can't do it ourselves, and actually asking God for help, is a sign of true spiritual maturity. 

God is in Control

We have to trust that God knows what He's doing. He's been doing it for a loooong time. He's the only One who is truly in control of everything.

Let's take a look at Psalm 46:7-11:

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.  Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    He burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

If God can do all that, He can surely take control of your life. All we have to do is let go of the wheel.