The idea was that we work to wrest control of our lives from the God who made us and we need and out to hand the reigns back to Him (a la Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel"). While the point made in such a line is valid, we need to remember that God doesn't need us to "let" Him do anything. It's like the notion of "choosing God" or "inviting the Holy Spirit" into a place. We don't choose God--He chooses us, and He does so by inviting us into right relationship to Him enabling us to accept the invitation by the power of His Holy Spirit.
For that matter, we also can't "invite Jesus into our hearts." Put simply, we aren't that hospitable to God. We'll never invite Him in--we'll lock and deadbolt the door. We only open the door because God has exerted His rightful claim upon the house by the blood of His own Son, and the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and hearts to see that fact. Oh, and one final thing--Jesus lives in heaven, not in our hearts. It is His Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
All of that is merely a sideshow to my main point: Letting go and letting God. Even if the cliche is a bit off, it hints at the fundamental struggle to relinquish one's rights before the King of the earth.
Sometimes, God gives us clear examples of our helplessness to show us our need to trust Him. I was all alone in Malawi in 2007, preparing the way for my team to arrive, when I was told that my grandmother had collapsed in her garden and might die. There was no way for me to help her. No opportunity to visit her before she might die. I had to accept God's timing and God's control. It took being a half a world away for my foolish heart to learn such simple wisdom.
In the same vein, I have no option but to relinquish my ability to guard the lives and well-being of my dear wife and little boy from out here. As weird as it might sound, I may be as nervous for their safety as they are for mine. If their lives were threatened, I would have no opportunity to donkey-kick anyone in the head or give them the Stone Cold Stunner. :)
Separation reinforces the reality that our lives are sustained by the hand of God alone. He grants life and He takes it away. Doesn't matter if I'm around. God will take each of us in our appointed time. Our heart's desire then musn't be the desperate grasp of a life we don't ultimately control, but the desperate grasp of the Christ who reigns over us and gives meaning to this life. Our lives are never more secure--in life or death--than when they reside in the hand of the Good Shepherd, from whence they shall never be stripped away.
I was reminded of this poignant point by this sobering story: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/10/10/how-the-ayres-family-buried-their-8-children/
May I not obsess so much over life that I lose my obsession with life's purpose: To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Oh, that I might commit those I love the most, as well as my life's cares, to the God who loved me eternally in Christ Jesus!
