This morning, I woke up and saw light outside my window. I thought I had overslept. I made my way to the front door and stepped outside. Our entire front yard seemed to be lit up by the light of the moon. I had not overslept. It was 5:20 AM. Inside, I opened my Bible, got my yellow marker and turned on the coffee pot. I am reading through the Psalms again. This morning, I read Psalm 6 through Psalm 10. In particular, I noticed Psalm 8:3:
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
The bright light from the moon this morning reminded me that God is in control of this world. That is not on my shoulders. God is in control of his church. That is not on my shoulders. God is aware and involved in every problem I have. Even when life is overwhelming, painful, and frustrating, I am not alone.
It is easy to think about God as the creator of the universe and conclude that he really isn’t interested in me or in the stresses and strains of this life. Yet he is "mindful" of me.
Part of trusting God is learning to let go.
- Letting go of my efforts to control.
- Letting go of my efforts to look good.
- Letting go of my fear that life will spin out of my control.
- Letting go of my desire to appear competent.
- Letting go of my efforts to build little, pathetic securities into my life.
- Letting go of my rationalizations and justifications — declaring myself to be okay while others need to improve.
Now I don’t believe that "letting go" is like shutting your eyes and leaping out of a window. For me, learning to let go is gradual. Often simple reminders like the moon and its brightness this morning help me remember that God is very much in charge.
Far too often, ministers and other church leaders do not really feel the freedom of being a child of God because we are afraid to loosen our death-grip for fear…. The good news is that this is still God’s world and he is still the one who set the moon in place.
Jim, A great reminder of the perspective we should have. I am trying to make myself get up early to have a devotional time. For probably a year now I will wake up, around 5:30 to 6:00, and instead of getting up, I roll over and go back to sleep. I was driving home last night, looking at that same moon, and it occured to me how Jesus is the best friend I’ve ever had. Every morning he is there, waiting to meet with me, yet I continue to stand him up. How long would any of us continue to arrive to meet a friend, if that friend continually stood us up. I do make it sometimes, but most of the time I stay in bed until I have to get up. I hope that gradually my hunger for God will grow, and my desire to fellowship with Him will grow. Something for all of us to pray about. Mike, Rowlett, TX
Jim what a great post…i dont think we can ever let go enough! I know that i struggle with trying to do so much on my own without God. Seeing things like the night sky or the sun rising reminds me of Gods awesomme power and authority over all things. We all need to let go of our own personal fears or worldly desires and let God take total control because he can and he wants to!
Michael,Thanks so much for your comment. I appreciate what you are saying regarding your desire to spend a portion of your day with God. I don’t know if this helps but let me suggest that not all of us necessarily are on the same clock. I know some people that have this same kind of time with God at night. They just function better at night. On the other hand, I am a morning person and it feels more natural to commit some time to prayer and Scripture early in the morning.Thanks for your comment. Hope you will comment again.
Richard,Thanks for this. There is something about recognizing God as in control that allows us to work very hard without feeling burdened, joyless, and overwhelmed. At times I do experience these feelings but I return to be reminded of the one who is in charge.
Hi Jim,
Just checking in to make sure you’re okay, haven’t heard from you in awhile. Hope all is well.
Iain