God is in control

CEBU, Philippines - I thought that my sister, Dr . Jo Ann R. Serafin would lose her faith and trust in the Lord when her husband Rafael was hospitalized for three weeks. I was wrong.

When I asked if she would turn her back from the Lord with the difficult situation she was in, she smiled and said, “I have a strong faith in the Lord. He is in control of everything. Even though  the situation is too heavy to bear, but I have also received many blessings from Him. And that I am very thankful.”

I am reminded of what Psalm 46:10 says, “Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth.”

Pastor Rick Warren of Daily Hope website declares, “Everyday you have to decide who’s going to be in control of your life --- you or God. But stress relief always starts with letting God be God. It always starts with saying, “God, I’m giving up control because You can control the things that are out of control in my life.” Let go of control and know that God is in control. This is the first step to serenity in your life.”

To those of us who have almost lost our trust and faith in the Lord because of the Herculean problem that we are facing, Warren shares the following insights:

Whenever we face out-of control situations, we tend to go to one of the two extremes. For some of you, the more out-of -control your life gets, the harder you try to control it. Some of you do the exact opposite. You just give up. You have a “pity party” and you invite yourself to it. Both of these reactions to stress are foolish. They don’t work. Instead of being a victim or becoming a hyper controlling, you need to pray the prayer of surrender.

The number one reason you’re under stress is because you’re in conflict with God. You’re trying to control things that only God  can control. You can’t control your husband,or your kids, or your wife, or your job, or your future,  or your past, or any of that stuff.  The more you’re trying to play God, that puts you in the opposition to God. Not only are you going to lose that conflict, but you’re also going to be tired.

Millions of people pray that “Serenity Prayer." Living one day at a time, enjoying  moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace. That is where the power is. There is power when you surrender to God the way things you’ve been trying to take things of from Him.

Try praying the "Serenity Prayer” by Reinhold Niebuhr: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."

"Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is; not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will; that I may reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever. Amen." (FREEMAN)