A few years ago during a difficult time in my life, a good friend and co-worker of mine from the Grand Rapids, Michigan area sent me a card to give me hope and encouragement.  On the front of the card was a poem written by Emily Matthews and I would like to share it with you:

When you’re searching for truth and can’t find your way, when people don’t hear what you’re trying to say, and the answers won’t come to the things that you pray….It’s time to let go and let God

Let go of the bad and the good will appear. Trust in the knowledge that He’s always near, that answers and choices are always more clear….When you can let go and let God.

Just lift up your hands and surrender your heart, tell Him your worries and He’ll do His part, let go of the past and your future will start …. When you finally let go and let God.

To this day, the card and poem that Mike sent me is posted on my refrigerator door as a constant reminder to surrender all my burdens and concerns to a loving Father who is ready and willing to take them (Psalm 55:22 and 1 Peter 5:7).

Is there anything in your own life currently that you need to let go?  Is there something you feel responsible to control or change?  Maybe you’re frustrated over something that’s beyond your ability to manipulate or influence….or maybe you’re at the point of giving up all together.

Maybe you have tried desperately to change your spouse or best friend – feeling as if it’s your responsibility to correct them when they fail or quickly point out to them any behaviors or traits that need improvement.  Maybe you have a rebellious child who doesn’t listen to a word you say so you just keep applying pressure, keep raising your voice tone all in an effort to get their attention.

Maybe you’re unemployed right now and there are no job prospects in sight or you’re looking at a checking account balance that is far less than all the bills that need to be paid this month.  It could be that your health is diminishing and you’re trying with all your might to find the right doctor or medical cure before it’s too late.

It could be that you’ve prayed and prayed about something and no answer is in sight.  Maybe you’ve prayed to find the perfect mate and you’re still single and all alone.  Maybe your business isn’t improving in these hard economic times despite your pleas for God to make it successful.

Whatever you’re faced with right now, I urge you to let it go and let God handle it – in His time and in His way.

Here is what you will find when you do….

A Greater Understanding of Your Limits

Too often when people think about letting go and letting God, they mistakenly think the definition of “letting go” means to do absolutely nothing.  The truth is that “letting go” is far from passive or apathetic behavior.  It involves doing your part, understanding your limits, and leaving the rest to God.

If you’re dealing with a relationship issue whether it be a spouse or a friend, respectfully communicate and offer support but allow and trust God to do the rest.  Realize when you nag or fret, you’re going outside of your limits – pressing into areas of manipulation, pride and self-interests.

If you’re concerned about your health, visit a doctor and do the best you can to heed their advice but allow and trust God to do the rest.  Feeling as if you need to find the cure yourself or become the sole force behind your healing is outside of your limits – beyond your power and control to change.

If you’ve prayed and prayed about a problem or concern that hasn’t changed, keep praying and asking God for guidance and discernment but allow and trust God to do the rest.  Being filled with fear and anxiety over any issue is outside of your limits.

As I hope you can see that letting go isn’t sitting on your hands or standing in a corner.  It is actively doing your part, BUT connecting with your boundaries.  Properly “letting go” involves humility – knowing when you’ve done all that God would expect of you and leaving the rest to Him.

A Greater Understanding of God’s Unlimited Possibilities

Once you’ve connected with your own limits and boundaries within any issue, you begin to see the unlimited possibilities that enter your circumstances when you let God get involved.

Properly “letting God” into our problems requires surrender of our own will and desired outcome – knowing that whatever the result a loving God has our best interests and the best interests of others at the very center of His actions.

When it comes to our spouse or friend, we begin to open our mind and heart to how God might be working in their life right now. 

We see how God is lovingly teaching and guiding a troubled child – helping them to learn a difficult lesson for something they may potentially face in their future.

We begin to see in our sickness how God is using it to bring us closer to Him, trusting in His power to heal us all in His perfect timing.  We start to realize that if healing isn’t in God’s plans right now, He is up to something bigger and better – serving a far greater purpose, one we’ll clearly see and understand someday.

We begin to feel an indescribable peace when we pray, knowing that whatever the outcome, whether our prayer is answered or not, it’s exactly centered in God’s perfect and loving plan for us.

Most importantly, letting God into all parts of our lives allows us to see Him at work.  When we fail to let go and let God, we stifle God’s involvement by stubbornly hanging on to our own ways and desired outcomes.  We unconsciously place a border around our problems and their outcomes, letting them progress only as far as our own human limits allow. 

Here’s the reason why many people don’t see God actively involved within their circumstances:  They fail to let Him in. They fail to let go of their problems and let God begin to work within them.

When we “Let Go and Let God”….the possibilities are limitless!

It’s my prayer tonight that we all begin to learn the process of letting go, knowing we must do our part, humbly understanding our limits, and letting God and His unlimited possibilities take over all that brings us fear, concern, and distress.

God bless!