Day 5: Courage To Release Control | 7 DAYS OF PRAYER & FASTING

The courage to release control. It’s not as easy as it sounds, and it is just that easy. 

Because God knows me so well (I love roller coasters), he gave me a dream where I am riding something equivalent to a roller coaster. In the dream, Jesus responds to my question of what's going on by saying to me don’t worry, enjoy the ride. Me, loving roller coasters but not loving the unknown, asks again, like hey what’s happening, where am I going? His second response, throw your hands up, don’t worry and enjoy the ride. If you have ever been on a roller coaster, you know it takes courage to just throw your hands up and enjoy the ride. Why does it take courage? Well, you’re only being held down by a seat belt or a harness that could easily lose the battle with gravity at any moment and your stomach is doing summer saults that you feel like you can only control by holding on tighter. So it takes courage to just let go and enjoy the ride.

Courageous Surrender

Life sometimes gives you the feeling of being on a roller coaster where you are riding highs and feeling good, and then suddenly steep drops happen and it feels like your stomach is doing flips and you are holding on tight to what feels safe. In this steep fall, you do everything you can to control the impact of the fall. However, during the ride of this thing called life that we are living, God wants us to have the courage to release control. God wants us to throw up our hands in surrender and trust him. 

In his word he has assured us that if we trust him, he will give us peace, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3 KJV) and he will direct our paths, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all they ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV). My hope for us today is that when life is hard, when you feel like you need to control the outcome, when you think you know what’s best, that you will stop, trust God, release control and enjoy the ride.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for being a Father in whom we can put our trust in. It is easy for us to try and do things on our own, but today we desire to trust you. We want to live your promise of peace and direction when we trust you and not our own understanding. Thank you God for being faithful even when we don’t release control. On today, we take courage and we release control. We will enjoy the ride! In Jesus name, Amen.

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.” (Jeremiah 17:7 KJV)

Written by: Nicole Bell | Anthem Kids Director, Anthem Church