Letting Go Of the Safety Bar!

A few months back I did something really brave that I haven't done for years! I rode a roller-coaster! No, it wasn't one of the kiddy ones at a fairground - this was a full-grown adult, scary version!

A friend of mine (who is a seasoned rollercoaster rider) ‘bullied’ me to go on it, with a good dose of friendly, harmless, peer pressure. Did I enjoy it? Not a chance! I hated ever second of the 4 minutes that I sat with my eyes shut tight, hands gripped white to the safety bar, as we twisted and turned, upside down, dropping death-defying heights... to me it was sheer torture! My friend on the other hand sat giggling and laughing all the way through, her hands waving in the air - apparently she found the whole thing marvelously enjoyable! When they eventually let me off, my hands ached from gripping hold of the bar, my legs felt like jelly and for days after, every muscle in my body complained from the 4 minutes of extreme stress I had put it through!

I'm telling you this because the Lord has challenged me over the last few years, that for some of us this is how we live our lives with the Lord. We say we're happy to let Him be in control and we walk the paths He sets for us, but we don't fully surrender and rest in Him, knowing that He is Lord.

He longs for us to fully surrender to Him our cares, so that we can experience a peace that surpasses all else. A peace that comes from fully knowing He is in control and we don't have to be. We don't need to grip hold of the safety bar of life and prepare ourselves for the 'inevitable crash', because God's path for us (wherever it leads) is secure. It takes practice though! Just like riding roller-coasters, with your hands raised in the air (going against your natural instinct to hang on tight), so we have to practice letting God be in control and learn to rest, secure in Him.

I would encourage you today to fully surrender to your Heavenly Father the cares and concerns in your life. Laying them down at the foot of His cross, hands off the safety bar, resting secure in the knowledge that the life God has for you is the very best and He is faithful.

Prayer: Father God, I'm sorry for the times that I have said you are Lord of my life - and yet in my heart I have failed to truly trust and surrender to you. Lord, I choose to surrender to you today - to your plans and your purposes for my life, knowing they are the very best for me. I take my hands off the safety bar and I rest back in you, and give you chance to prove yourself faithful once again in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.