June 1, 2021 – Click here to listen
So a friend of mine asked me to go on a Christian retreat with him to Montana next week to do some trout fishing, shoot skeet, and blast a few nuisance prairie dogs. I have several construction projects going and on short notice it seemed to be too much. He implored me to go saying his other Christian friends could not go and he wanted someone to accompany him, so I made some plane reservations.
Then I started asking for an agenda. He said they did not release an agenda and the main thrust of the camp is not to have to make any decisions. I told him I like to make decisions and do the things I want to do and not do the things I don’t. He told me it would be wonderful to just relax and leave everything to them and get rid of the stress and anxiety.
Egad, I thought, I don’t have a single sliver of stress or anxiety in my life. And if I did, I’m not wired to alleviate it by sitting around allowing someone else to make my decisions for me. Then he said I needed to “Let go and let God.”
Huh?
“Let go” of what and “let God” do what? I realize that this phrase popped up a few years ago and is popular in many Christian circles, but actually the Bible does not tell us to do that. Jesus told us we are in the fight of our life and we need to put on the whole armor of God. What some Christians seem to want to do is adopt a sort of spiritual lethargy wherein we do nothing, say nothing, feel nothing, and simply live allowing whatever comes along to steamroll us however they may. Letting go, in the sense of sitting back and watching events unfold however they may be is not biblical. Why would God want us to suit up in armor if He did not want us to fight?
It is true that we cannot do anything of eternal value apart from Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit. The key to relieving stress for me is understanding that God is in control of the Universe and, “God works all things together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose” This verse provides me the rest in His peace that surpasses all understanding. That peace comes from studying God’s word and meditating on His nature and all that He does and has done and prayer.
Having faith in Him and a personal relationship allows us to endure hardships. There is a positive reason for struggling and our struggles are just one of the ways that God strengthens us for the difficult things that we will invariably face. Trials are also designed to show us that we can face the junk thrown at us with grace and even a sense of humor. Those who lament that they have to struggle on occasion and are looking for someone to quickly fix it for them pour billions into pharmaceutical solutions, shrinks, and other escape mechanisms. We need faith that whatever God has for us is okay. This can only come from walking with Him through trial upon trial, struggle upon struggle.
I have lived a full life. I have known tragedy including the suicide of my brother and death of many loved ones, having nearly $1 million embezzled from me nearly destroying my first business that it took seven years of hard work to build, and so on. I have also known good times too numerous to enumerate. At this stage of my life I cannot offer enough praise to God for both the good and the bad times. It made me who I am today and I am blessed.
If my friend simply wanted me to let God take over my life, I did that many years ago. I do not live in fear, or stress, and God is in control. So perhaps the saying should just be, Let God. My biggest disappointment in life is not coming closer to emulating the perfect life my Savior Christ lived and desires for me. But I’m working on it and I certainly am not going to just relax and hope God will supernaturally perfect me this side of heaven. Let God give me strength, wisdom, and peace in all things as I continue the fight.
2 Tim. 2:3
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.