Learning To Let Go, and To Know God Is in Control

In summary of Psalm 46:10 it says, “Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth.”

Bottom Line:

Be still, let your concerns and worries leave your mind.  Know that God rules and is supreme among the nations and throughout the world.  God should be praised for who He is.

What this means to me:

When I approach God for prayer and quiet time, I often refer to this verse.  It reminds me to be still and to quiet my mind of all concerns, to know that He is God!.  God is to be exalted among all the nations and exalted throughout the world.  The Good Word translation suggests that you “Let go of your concerns” which can happen if I can be truly still, and can let go of what’s on my mind and my agenda.  Every day, I have to decide who’s going to be in control of my life — myself or God.  That choice is a real battle. There are things in my life that I want to control. I want to make my own rules. A great deal of stress relief will always start with letting God, be God!  It starts with saying, “God, I’m giving up control, because you can control the things that are out of control in my life.”  Psalm 46:10 says, “Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth” (GW).  

Its hard for me to tell what I’m going to face this week, however God knows.  God wants me to let go of control and know that God is in control of what happens.  So let go, and know; this is the first step to gaining peace and serenity in life.  When things seem out-of-control, my natural reaction is to try hard to control it.  However this reaction just leads to stress.  Instead, I just need to pray the prayer of surrender.  The number one reason for being under stress is because I’m in conflict with God. I’m trying to control things that only God can control.

In summary, I need to live one day at a time, enjoy each moment, accept hardship as a pathway to peace, trusting that God will make all things right if I surrender to his will.  This is truly where the power is.  There is power when I surrender to God the very things I’ve been trying to take control of from him.

Learning To Reflect Before Responding

In summary of the two verses below:

Proverbs 29:11

"Fools vent their anger openly, but a wise and sensible person will quietly hold it back.”

Proverbs 19:11

“If you are sensible, you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it.”

Bottom Line:

Foolish people lose their tempers, but wise people control theirs.  Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.

What this means to me:

These verses remind me that when situations arise that raise my frustrations/temper it would be more sensible for me to control it and hold back rather than vent it openly.  In practice when I’m angry I shouldn’t respond impulsively, rather I should opt to delay (at least for 5 minutes) take a "time-out', and give myself some time to reflect and think it through, even to look at the situation from God’s point of view.  The Bible says a wise man lets his anger cool down. (Proverbs 29:11)  If I don't stop and think, I’m likely to do the wrong thing. So I need to reflect before responding.  While I’m cooling down, I can reflect on three questions; Why am I angry? What do I really want? How can I get it?  Understanding the answers to these three questions will give me greater patience and perhaps the ability to overlook an offense.