GPBC Blog

By Lara Lunsford--

I’ve never thought of myself as a control freak. Growing up, I was always a people-pleaser, peacemaker, rule-follower. As an adult, I identify with the Enneagram Type 9, described as “the easygoing, self-effacing” type.  But let me tell you, when things start to go awry and feel askew and all of life feels topsy turvy—you know, like how all of 2020 has been—I feel that desire for control rise up inside and bubble over and spill out of me. My words become short and directive, my teeth clench and my chest tightens, and I realize all over again that my desire for control in the midst of chaos is secretly strong.

At SW Church Together this past Sunday, we had the opportunity to reflect on what God is showing and teaching us this year. I wrote down a number of things, including “I am not in control, God is.” It is a truth that I keep learning over and over and over. In all my efforts to regain my bearings on my own, I often hold on tight to what I fear losing and close myself off to whatever might threaten my sense of security. What I’m left with is a mere illusion of peace. And when I seek self-preservation, I wear myself thin and lose out on the wide open possibilities that come with the blessing of trusting more in God.

That is what it comes down to most of the time for me—can I trust God? I know in my head that God is trustworthy, but it is a constant practice to put my trust in the Lord.

Ransom and I have been reading through his Bible recently, and we laugh every time we come across the phrase, “The Israelites forgot.” How could the nation of Israel, who had been witness to mighty miracles and signs of God’s power, keep forgetting what they had experienced and seen? How could they turn back to comforts that didn’t satisfy and desire bondage over freedom and embrace a false sense of security? Those silly Israelites.

But I feel that. I am the forgetful one who has to be reminded repeatedly of God’s deliverance; that intimacy with Jesus is better than holding onto life as I know it; that God is a good father who gives good gifts. What is there for me to fear when God is for me?

Hebrews 12:26-29 reads:

“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.""

When my world feels like it is being shaken, this passage reminds me that God is the one doing the shaking in order to let that which does not last fall away. God is drawing me closer to him, deepening my trust in his goodness. And God is reminding me that I can trust him with my life.

May you be reminded that God is good and trustworthy when everything else cannot hold up to the weight of this world. May you find comfort in God’s enduring faithfulness. May you have eyes to see what remains when everything else fades away.