Not much, that’s what is new (wait a minute, is that a title to an NPR radio show?).
So here we are, August is almost over and I will be turning a quarter of a century old next week. The economy is still in the toilet, more planners are being laid off, job opportunites are decreasing and moving when I graduate is looking more like an option. More importantly during my Bible reading this morning I was reminded that God is still in control.
As a sinful human we desire control. What do we have when we think we are in control? Security. Control is not the issue. We need to feel secure. Control is just one of the many ways we try to feel secure. Many of us struggle and don’t move forward in our relationship with God because we think we have to give up control. Doing so scares us so much that we are often afraid to cooperate with Him. But we only want control because we long so desperately to feel secure.
In Isaiah 38, the scripture mentions "O Lord, I am oppressed, be my security" . When the closeness of God’s presence becomes your security, you will find freedom to move forward in your relationship with Him. When God becomes your security, you won’t have to demand that God do what you want. When God becomes your security, you won’t have to withdraw from Him because of fear that you might not get your way. It is much easier to obey when you trust that God has your best interest in mind and you let Him be in control.
There is hope for those who want out of the battle to be in control: learn to possess His presence. The psalmist did and you can too: "God is my strong fortress" (2 Sam 22:33). We can experience God as our security: "He provides them with security, and they are supported; and His eyes are on their ways" (Job 24:23). When you make the Spirit your security, you don’t need to demand control. You can rest from the pressure to control when the closeness of God is what reassures you. When you let yourself enjoy possessing the Spirit, the need for security is being met another way.
There was also a verse that I found recently that I think applies to the type of work I do (except for the shedding innocent blood, unless you count that spider I killed in the office the other day)
Jeremiah 21:12 Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.
Well those were the thoughts running through my head this week, and as the title to this blog states, this is what it’s all about. Feel free to post comments.
Remember,
Ο Θεός είναι στον τομέα του ελέγχου
-Jeremiah
1 comment:
I just talked about this with my teens last night... crazy! We had our "Fear Factor" thing, licking diapers clean, hands in worms & some mustard marshmallow combo etc… and then talked about worry, Rom 8:28,1 Pet 5:7 & phil 4:6-7... What's cool is Roms talks about God having a plan for your life (one of my faves for that is ps 139) anywho, God's plan is fabulous yet when we worry about our lives or circumstances you are in essence telling God... "I don't trust you." "You aren't big enough." "Let me fix this mess you made..." Not cool responses to the original designer!!! 1Pet 5:7, give him your worry/anxiety/cares whatever your translation says... hand it over cause it's not yours to mess with anyway!
Is 38 & security... reading that was an ahhha moment for me. Never got the security part as being neg and how that was happening. It’s way too easy to breeze over vss that don’t make sense for the ones that click in my head… thanks for sharing this!
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