“Letting go” is similar to floating in water. When we first learn to float, someone often has to put their hands under us at first before we learn to trust the water to hold us up. When we first learn to trust God in this way, we may have to have someone walk it with us who has been there before. We gradually, a step at a time, learn to trust that letting go of control of our own lives, to a God we can’t literally see, will work. God will hold us up just as the water does when we float.
We need to learn from others’ experiences. We can start by reading the Bible and looking at the many stories where people surrendered control to God and He came through for them. Letting go seems unnatural for most human beings. So, as we study the lives of others, we begin to see God’s hand at work, as we similarly would watch others float before we tried it in the previous analogy.
Can you imagine when David walked up to a Giant with just a sling-shot and a stone? Can you imagine when Noah and his sons began to build a giant boat in the middle of dry land? Can you imagine when Daniel continued to pray to his God, leaving the consequences to Him, even though it meant a fiery furnace? Can you imagine a young single woman finding herself pregnant with God’s child just as she is about to marry her future husband? All of these people had to lean on God, and God held them up every single time.
Practice letting go. When learning to float, we often do it in short bursts at first, allowing fear to take over a few times before we finally get to that point that we no longer fear the water. Letting go sometimes works the same way. It takes practice. When we let go of something, we learn something from it, making our faith stronger for the next time. How many times has life been so totally out of control and in hindsight we can admit that God worked it out in His own way and in His own time. Each time, faith is strengthened and fear is lessened.
It takes practice to let go. When learning to float, we often do it in short bursts at first, allowing fear to take over a few times before we finally get to that point that we no longer fear the water. Letting go sometimes works the same way. It takes practice. When we let go of something, we learn something from it, making our faith stronger for the next time. How many times have our lives been totally out of our control and God worked it out in His own way and in His own time? Each time, faith is strengthened and fear is lessened.
Only total surrender to God’s will in God’s way and in God’s timing will allow a life that truly honors Him. As humans, we may not have what we need to surrender at the beginning, but as we learn about God and His ways, practice letting go and then move to full surrender, God will do what He says He will do.
Once a person has truly experienced the wonder of letting go and letting God, he or she is forever changed. Remember the wonder the first time you realized water would hold you up? Multiply that by many times and you will begin to understand how great a life God will supply. Will everything be easy? No way. It may even be harder by the world’s standards. But, God promises to always walk with us through the pain and to work things for good to those that love Him and are called by Him.
God doesn't put us in a situation which He won't accompany us through.