Letting Go and Letting God


Sometimes life throws situations and circumstances at us that seem hopeless and we seek God’s word and we seek Him in prayer and still we just do not know what to do.   We feel our emotions go out of control and we start to panic.  We can go ahead to put our hands into it and make everything worse, or we can learn to Let Go and Let God.  When we learn to wait patiently on the LORD, we learn to rise above our emotions.  He teaches us that we can live skillfully instead of just reacting emotionally to crisis.  It can be one of the hardest lessons to learn and do but when we do finally learn it, we find the peace and the rest that comes from Letting Go and Letting God.

Handout:  Letting Go and Letting God
Teacher's Guide:  Letting Go and Letting God

 

As I write this lesson, tears come from my heart because this is a lesson that God has reminded me of so much lately.  The past few weeks, as I think of the friends and family, who have come to me, with broken hearts, the devil seems to be working over time in the lives of everyone.  I believe he knows that the return of Christ is very near and he is working frantically trying to ruin as many of the lives of the children of God as he can. 

As I listened to the hurts and frustrations of my loved ones, the havoc that is happening in their lives, I feel the hurt in my heart that they are feeling, it’s painful but I’m thankful that God lets me feel it because it helps me pray more earnestly.  As I was crying out to God on behalf of these people, I was feeling so helpless and not knowing what to do, just crying out in tears saying GOD I don’t know what to do, what do I do?  I waited for a word from God to guide me in a specific situation, waiting for Him to give me instruction.  Finally the answer came, but it wasn’t the answer I was expecting. 

God reminded me…Cindy, Let go and Let Me!  Let go and Let God…wow.  Sometimes that is one of the hardest lessons we have to learn, one of the hardest things we have to learn to do because we are creatures of action.  We want to do something, we want to make it better right now!  We want the situation taken care of right this very second.  What we don’t understand is that when we are hurting or when we see others hurting and we panic so to speak, we are only reacting to our emotions about the circumstances.  We are only reacting to what we see.  We cannot understand why God doesn’t move in and fix it right now.  However, God’s timing is not ours, His timing is perfect and He is working out His plan perfectly just as He has ordered it since before the foundations of the world!  It is no accident; nothing is surprising to GOD because HE knows all things.  God reminded me that I can only see part of the picture but He is seeing all of it.  He is working out his perfect plan in the lives of the ones that are hurting so.

Ephesians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:  4According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:”

 

 He reminded me that I am just human.   I can do nothing.  In the process of life, He is teaching me to let go and Let HIM.  I’m reminded of a song that I have found myself singing lately that says,

“Stand still, and let God move, standing still is hard to do
When you feel you have reached the end, HE will make a way for you,
Stand still and let GOD move.  The answer will come, but only in HIS time, Stand still  and let God move.”

I think back of the people I’ve read about in the Bible who learned how to let go and let God.  One of those people was David.  He learned at a very young age that God is in control and to trust HIM.  Remember when David as a young shepherd boy went up against Goliath the Philistine giant who everyday for weeks and weeks stood against the armies of God with blasphemy.  All the others were afraid but David understood that he was an instrument for God to use in order to work.  David went up against this Goliath with trust in the Lord and with boldness.  Let’s take a look at what he said to this philistine giant.

1 Samuel 17:44-47 “44And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.45Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.47And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands.”

Notice what he said there in verse 47?  “For the battle is the LORD’s,”

David trusted the Lord and understand that the battle was not his but God’s.  God worked through David and was victorious over Goliath. 

Turn now if you will to 2 Chronicles chapter 20.

Here we find the King of Judah at this time, King Jehoshaphat was greatly afraid because a great multitude of people were coming to war with them.  King Jehoshaphat began to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all of Judah.  He was their King but he did not know what to do.  He began to cry out to God about this situation that seemed hopeless and all the people of Judah stood before the Lord.  Let’s read to see what happens.

2 Chronicles 20:13-15 “Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.  Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.  And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat!  Thus says the LORD to you:  ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

What did he say?  “The battle is not yours, but God’s.”   So they purposed in their hearts to trust the Lord and let Him fight their battle and HE DID!  Reading on down in verse 20 we find this victory.

2 Chronicles 20:20 “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”

They did not have to do anything but trust and praise the LORD!  God caused their enemies to destroy each other!

In every victory in God’s word, we find that God has done the work.  He works through His people but ultimately He does it.  The Lord is a warrior!  He is going to fight the battle because it is not ours to fight, it is His.  When we stand against Satan who comes at us, and we put our trust and faith in God, we will be victorious every time.

Psalm 24:8 “Who is this King of glory?  The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.”

Psalm 18:6-19 “6In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Hm, even into HIS ears.7Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because He was wroth.8There went up a smoke out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. 9He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under His feet.10And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, He did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness His secret place; His pavilion round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. 12At the brightness that was before Him His thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. 13The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave His voice; hail stones and coals of fire.14Yea, He sent out His arrows, and scattered them; and He shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.15Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at Thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils.16He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters.17He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.18They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.19He brought me forth also into a large place;He delivered me, because He delighted in me.”
Beloved, what are you facing today?  Are you situation where it seems hopeless and you don’t know what to do?  Do you have loved ones that are facing a giant and all seems lost?  Friend, God does not change!  He is the same today, yesterday and forever! 

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD; I change not;”

I say this so many times, and I will continue because we as God’s children need to hear it over and over.  What God does for one of His children He will do for all!  When you are facing a situation or someone you love are in circumstances that seem hopeless and you do not know what to do, fall quickly on your face before God, cry out to Him and then be still and let Him move.  Wait upon the Lord.  If you are not sure what to do, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT take matters into your own hands without first seeking God and learning what His will is for you.  Yes sometimes we have to take action and trust Him to work things out, but never before we seek HIS counsel in prayer first.  There are answers in His word that we must read and it will guide us what to do in many situations, but there are those that we are unsure what to do and in those times we MUST seek God and wait patiently for HIM. 

Psalm 37:7 “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

Sometimes in the situations when we most want to act quickly and do something, sometimes those are the times when we have to Let Go and Let God.  Are you in a situation like this today?  Seek Him.  Trust Him.  Understand that He knows the outcome and He is working all things out for your good and for the good of His children.  He sees it in full, from beginning to ending and He has a plan.  Don’t be hasty on your own trying to fix something that you cannot fix!  When we do this, we only make matters worse.  We must learn to wait upon the LORD and obey what HE says, WHEN HE says.

Proverbs 3:5-6  “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.”

What does that mean?  It means trust God with everything you have.  Don’t just trust what you can see and understand, but trust and faith in God’s understanding of the situation.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, what does that mean?  

That word acknowledge in the Hebrew is yada it means: To Know.  Acknowledge God in all things, not just recognize that He is there…Yes we should recognize Him in all things, but there is a difference in that and in KNOWING Him.  There is a knowing of God in every single situation in life that we face.  That is why we seek Him, to Know Him in those situations because only when we Know Him do we begin to lean on His understanding and not our own!  It all works together.  The only way we can Know God is to be in relationship with Him daily through Christ! 

When you are broken, and life has you bound down, or when you see your loved ones with broken lives and you don’t know what to do and it seems that God hasn’t given an answer yet in His word or to your Spirit, trust Him.  Let go and Let God!  He has it all under control.  In the right time, God’s perfect time, all things He will work out.  We must trust, obey, and wait patiently with our faith firm in Christ because we know that He has good plans for our lives and the lives of all of His children.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

An expected end, hope in the LORD because He only has good things in mind for you and me!  It’s wonderful!  Dear one don’t keep holding on to matters, trying so hard to fix them when you can not.  Give them to the Lord and let Him work in His own good time.  You and I will find much peace and rest in Letting Go and Letting God.  This is my prayer for you today.  God bless you.

Dearest and Righteous Heavenly Father,

I bow before You another day thanking You for this lesson and that Your Holy Spirit has written once again.  I thank You for the honor it is to be Your pen.  Lord today I thank You for who You are and that You are the one that we can truly trust.  You are our Father and You will always do us good.  Father today I ask You to help me to continue to Let Go and Let You!  Lord I pray that in situations where You want me to move, I will move and in the situations where You want me to let go and wait patiently for You, help me to do just that.  Lord I pray for the ones who will read this and those who will be taught this lesson.  Help Your children to know when to move and when to be still.  Lord I pray that You pour out Your Wisdom and discernment upon us today so that we can live a life that is pleasing to You, a life of victory that will Honor Your Holy name.  Thank You for providing for us always and for loving us.  Thank You for Jesus and the free pardon of sin.  Thank You that we can trust You and that You are always in control of everything!  We love You Lord and we praise You for all that You are and all that You do.  Lord bless this ministry and help us to reach millions for Your glory and Your Honor in the Jesus Precious Holy name we pray.  Amen.  Thank You Lord for hearing and answering our cries to You!  We love You so much!

 

Cindygirl

July 15, 2018