In or Out of Control - Martin Wiles

Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes. Psalm 115:3 NLT

“I like to be in control,” my wife smirked.

The battery-operated toothbrush had lain on the bathroom counter for a week before I asked her where she got it from. By this time, it had either collected dust or come in its present condition when the company shipped it to my wife.

Thinking she had spent money on something we didn’t have extra funds for, I questioned her about the purchase. She had ordered it from a website she does business with where she can buy things for a dollar. I couldn’t argue with a dollar purchase, especially since I know how much those type of toothbrushes cost.

“Why haven’t you opened the package and used the brush?” I finally asked after watching the thing lie around for a week.

The next day, she did. After using her new brush once, she informed me she didn’t like it and wouldn’t be using it again. When I asked why, I got the smirk and the answer. She couldn’t control her toothbrush; the batteries controlled it. All she could do was let the bristles circulate over her teeth. She liked to put pressure on her teeth. She couldn’t with this toothbrush.

According to the psalmist, God is like the battery-operated toothbrush. Nothing controls Him. He does as He wishes.

The psalmist’s statement comforts me when I understand everything else the Bible says about God. He is holy, kind, loving, and fair. When I worship a God such as that, I’m okay with Him doing what He wants when He wants. If He were a different kind of deity, I might not relish His rule.

When it comes to controlling, I’ve discovered I can only control one person: me. I have no power over what others do—even if I’m their manager or supervisor. Perhaps I can control how they act while they are under my watch, but I can’t control what they do at other times or even what they’re thinking while they are under my supervision.

If we try to do what only God can do, we get disappointed and depressed. Life will not always go as we plan. When things are out of our hands—and we don’t trust God to control them—we’ll jump into bed with misery. And on the heels of unending misery comes depression.

We can also run off friends. No one wants to hang around with a control freak. And chances are, we’ll have a bad attitude to boot. Lack of friends, depression, and disappointment can lead to that. To reverse it, we must reverse our attempts to control.

Let go of the struggle to control and let God take His rightful position. This is the only way to enjoy the peace Jesus gives.

Prayer: Father, prompt us to relinquish control of our lives to You, and only You.

Tweetable: Are you in or out of control? 

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