Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
For those who know me, it won’t come as a surprise that I like to be in control — not necessarily of others, but definitely of my own life. I feel secure when everything is organised and predictable.
But God doesn’t ask us to have everything figured out. In fact, He invites us to let go and trust His hand in our lives rather than our own management.
My favourite teacher on this subject, Dr M. Robert Mulholland, Jr., famously wrote:
Our spiritual journey is not setting out to find God. It is a journey of learning to yield ourselves to God and discovering where God will take us.
Yielding is a fancy word for releasing control.
Our lives were never meant to be constant pressure-driven attempts to be better, bigger, or holier. Instead, God invites us into a journey of trust — where He leads and we follow.Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
God invites us to let go of control. It’s not easy, but it’s freeing. One way I practice this is through silence and solitude, and you can try it too. Take 15 minutes to sit quietly, without music, your phone, or distractions.
Where I set a time, for example, for 15 minutes, and sit quietly, without music, without my phone and without any distractions.
As you sit, imagine that all the areas you’re trying to control, your work, family, finances, struggles, are like strings, pulling in your hands. Then, open your hands and say, “Lord, I’m letting go of these. I want to trust You instead.”
I invite you to try this. You might not feel different afterwards, and your problems won’t magically disappear. But this simple act of obedience, choosing to let go and trust God, is a great way to start.
