Daily Devotionals

LIVING A LIFE OF CONGRUENCE

Posted in Faithfulness

Who’s in Control of My Life: God or Me?

 

“But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.” Mark 16:7

 

Excerpt from Eugene Peterson’s As Kingfishers Catch Fire:  “Resurrection turns the tables.… This is the event that separates us into two groups: the people who want God to give them something, and the people who find out what God wants to give them…. The people who come to church to tell God what He must do to improve their living conditions, in contrast to the people who come to church to let God tell them how to live in love and faith and hope.”

 

What are your rocks?  We all have rocks — big rocks, small rocks — we all have them.  My Small Group gets this rock theory.  We learned about it in a Bible study from author Joanna Weaver.  She tells a story that goes something like this:

 

On a beautiful Spring day, a man meets God in a valley.  God tells the man that he has a wagon with three rocks in it and that he needs someone to take it to the top of the mountain.  “Are you willing?” God asks.  The man is excited to be able to do something to help God.  Wow, what an honor!  God instructs him just to take it to the top and leave it there.  “No problem,” replies the man, “that’s easy.”  So he starts out.  Along the way, he meets three people at various points — family, friends and strangers.  They all find out that he is taking a wagon up the mountain for God.  Oh! They say, “Can we throw a couple of bags in too?”  “Sure,” replies the man.  As he walks, it gets hotter, the wagon gets heavier, and by now he’s grumbling, perspiring and really frustrated.  In his frustration, he prayers:  “God this is too hard for me.  I’m not strong enough!”  As he prays, God comes to his side and asks, “What’s the problem?”  The man groans, “It’s too hard, I’m not up to it!”  God goes to the wagon and one by one removes the rocks given to the man by other people.  God says, “I will help you with your tasks.  I only asked you to carry three rocks.”  God wants each of us to carry our own rocks to Him.  The man now understands.  God is giving him freedom.  He can pray for others, give love and support, but each of us must carry our own rocks to God.  His yoke is easy, his burden light.  Give it to him.

 

My Small Group considers this a lesson in our control versus God’s control.  We try to control our lives, our children’s lives, our spouses’ lives.  The list goes on.  So find yourself a rock.  It doesn’t matter the size — whatever works for you.  Every morning as you have your quiet time and prayers, take your rock and hand it over to God.  After all, didn’t God remove the biggest rock at the tomb?  By removing it, he opened the way for us to trust Jesus and to know that he truly is in control.  We just have to hand it over and trust.  

 

Now hand over your rock, your control, your problem… and trust in the Rock-mover:  God.

 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, We thank you.  You love us and listen as we cry out, complain and try to control the people and world around us.  You are in control.  Please help us to let go and trust you.  In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

 

Submitted by:  Phyllis Trippe