Even when we let go, Christ our anchor’s hold is still strong. We’re still in His grip when we lose our own.
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Likewise, as we lean into the hard and heavy, forging our way along a difficult path, we’re often reaching out to see if God is there with us.

But He, in fact, goes before us, with us, and behind us.

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” –Deuteronomy 31:8

“For the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” -Isaiah 52:12

If the Lord will never leave us, then indeed we are not alone. We are not forsaken by our anchor or abandoned by our guide along the unknown path. Our light will not go out nor will our protector fail to have the victory in the end.

It’s so easy to look upon the goodness and the kindness of the Lord in wonder, and miss that the things He kindly does for us are not dependent on us.

This isn’t an excuse to live flippantly or to believe that the Lord will reward us for taking advantage of His grace. But it certainly is a comfort, and a shift in perspective we often need when we feel like we just have to try harder or hold on tighter.

“Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”

-2 Timothy 2:11-13

Amy Carmichael once described that when the going was rough, the trouble “was His burden not mine. It was He who was asking me to share it with Him, not I who was asking Him to share it with me.”

Sweet relief.

The nature of our God is compassionate. Loving. Hopeful. Gracious. Merciful. Kind. Stable. Steady.
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In all that you and I grasp at and cling to, just trying to hold on, we can know that we will not be abandoned or put to shame. We can be certain that we will never be lost, even when we lose hold.

We are held by one who does not let go, even when we do. Praise the Lord!

{A version of this post was originally published here}

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“Leave room for Jesus.”

That’s what we’d tease dating friends who always seemed to want to be close to each other. It was a light-hearted way to remind them that God’s way is better than our way.

The principle applies to much more than just purity in relationships though.

Franklin Graham, in his autobiography Rebel With a Cause, describes “God-room.” A mentor of his explained it this way:

“Listen, Buddy, ’God room’ is when you have seen a need you believe God wants you to meet. You try, but you can’t…That’s when you pray and leave room for God to work. You watch God close that gap.”

There are many reasons why it’s hard to leave that space for God to work…

Instead of walking by faith we like to stand on it, stick straight, saying, ‘Lord, I believe. I’ll take the next step when you light the path.’
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Faith requires acting before knowing for sure.
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Sometimes God points a direction, and, without explaining much, we’re just to obey and go that way. Obscurity, uncertainty included. That happened over and over again in Scripture.
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Notice that Hebrews 11:1 doesn’t say ‘Faith is waiting for things to be seen,’ but that ‘faith is the conviction of things unseen.’
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But then, think of what wouldn’t happen if we didn’t sometimes give up on ourselves and leave God-room…

Without faith, we’d never see more accomplished than humanly possible. The church wouldn’t have lasted past Christ’s ascension. You and I would still have no hope except for ourselves- and we can’t save ourselves. We would be living like we did before we knew Jesus and trusted Him for everything.

Without the God-gap, life would be like a land of rivers, lakes, and seas—with no bridges.

Today, I want to look at the chasms I can’t fathom crossing as opportunities to watch God work. How about you?

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The agile creatures stole anything loose they could grab. We tried to ask how to get our stuff back. A tour guide laughed. No one owned those monkeys. No one controlled them. He suggested we try trading goods with the animals.

In the end, he might as well have said this favorite phrase of mine:

“Not my circus, not my monkeys.”

I’d love to give credit to the person who created this phrase, but I haven’t figured out where I first heard it. Regardless, this lighthearted idiom makes a big difference when I get heavyhearted about what’s out of my control.

We all deal with monkeys that aren’t ours to control:

• Other people’s actions and attitudes
• Natural consequences
• People’s perceptions of us

Plus, we all cycle through circuses that just can’t be controlled:

• Circumstances like weather or health
• Unexpected things and unknowns
• Timing

God’s will and plans make both these lists, too.

There’s a lot outside of our control, isn’t there? Praise the Lord!
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Praise the Lord (even you fellow control freaks holding your breath right now.)

1. God does not hold us accountable for things we aren’t responsible for

2. God’s grace is enough to work those monkeys and circuses for good

3. God is sovereign over all the monkeys, circuses, and you know- Even us.

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” –Colossians 1:17

When we feel like something is just plain out-of-control, we need to remember the truth. These isn’t a thing out of God’s knowledge or reach. Even the things He seems to have “lost” (like that apple Eve bit into,) are included in His “all.”

All things work together for good. All God’s plans are accomplished. All is fit into His purposes. Even the wild and wily.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” –1 Peter 5:6-7

The second verse- cast your cares- is popular. But sometimes we forget what comes before it: humility. Part of surrendering control is being willing to say “I need help” and “that’s not mine.” If it’s not our circus and not our monkey, we can stop trying to take responsibility for it.

It’s tough when we care a lot to let go of what isn’t ours to manage- but that’s part of “cast your cares!”

Let’s praise the Lord of ALL today. What’s one thing you’re thankful isn’t your responsibility?

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