Relinquishing Control
In the multitude of my anxieties within me, your comforts delight my soul.
Psalm 94:19 (NKJV)

The New International Version of the Bible translates the above verse this way: “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”

The Psalmist feels a lot like we feel while standing in a context where it appears that evil is all around and in control. He is praying to God because he can’t control what’s happening around him and he is wondering when God is going to assert His strength and power.

By the end of the verse, however, the Psalmist stops trying to shape events and control environments. Instead, he relinquishes this need to control things and simply finds a comfortable place in God.

When we realize that trying to control everything only reveals how much we can’t control everything, then we can remember we have a covenant with God. This covenant comes with the relationship we have with Him. We accept His salvation only to discover the multitude of fringe benefits that are opened up to us: eternal security, divine protection, daily provision, the ability to ask and receive, battles fought for us, and the list goes on.

One of those benefits is the assurance that God is in control.

So when you feel like you have lost control of your circumstances and situation, go with it—and rest in the covenant you have with God. You will know that you have found that place when you experience the comfort and consolation that the Psalmist describes.