Who's in Control?

I like to be in control. Although I've improved a lot as I've grown older, there have been many times when I could be called a micromanaging control freak. The problems is at its worst, though, when I try to do it with the Lord.

When things seem really bleak and there seems to be no way out, I sometimes feel like I need to make plans for the Lord. I'm probably the only one who ever feels that way - the rest of you probably trust in Him explicitly without doubt when the work of His hand is being hidden from your sight. But, I have to confess my weakness - I want to make things happen. I want to work out the details. I want to remind Him that He needs to show His hand at a specific time in a specific way or things will fall apart.

Fortunately, in recent years when my natural instinct has tried to kick in and force through the solutions I just knew had to be the only ones, my Christ-minded self has become more and more submissive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to just wait! That's a very hard thing for me to do, but my goal is for it to become my first response.

Something I read in Micah last week reminded me of this whole battle.

And now many nations have been assembled against you who say, 'Let her be polluted, and let our eyes gloat over Zion.' But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, and they do not understand His purpose; for He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor. Micah 4:11-12 (NASB)

Just when all seems lost and everything seems at its worst, I usually see God's hand in an absolutely and totally amazing way. He acts in a way only He can, and all of the glory goes to Him instead of me. And to top it all off, the solution is always infinitely better than anything I could possibly ever concoct in my own feeble problem-solving mind!

Those who stand against the Lord "no not know the thoughts of the Lord." But, do you want to know something awesome? We as His children do know! Okay, true, we don't know and understand all of the ways or thoughts of God, but have you read what Jesus said to His disciples right before He went to the cross?

No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15 (NASB)

Everything we need to know, we do know. And, we do know that God is for us. We do know that if He's for us, nothing can stand against us. We know that nothing can separate us from His love. If all of the things of Romans 8:31-39 are true, then there is no need for me to try to strategize and plan and remind God of what He needs to do.

Whew - what a relief. Now, if I'll just live that way...