Walking in the Light of His Sovereignty

 Walking in the Light of His Sovereignty

Luke 12:2 (NLT)

“The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all.”

1 Peter 3:5–6 (NLT)

“This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.”

Psalm 34:22 (NLT)

“But the Lord will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.”

Proverbs 3:5–6 (NLT)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

The Illusion of Control and the Call to Trust

We humans sure do like to feel as though we are in control, don't we?

We make plans, schedules, budgets, appointments, backup plans—and sometimes backup plans for our backup plans! We try to anticipate every possible problem so we can somehow be prepared for whatever life throws at us.

And then life happens.

A phone call comes. A doctor gives us news we weren't expecting. The car breaks down. The bills pile up. Someone we love gets sick. Suddenly, all those carefully laid plans remind us of one simple truth:

We were never really in control to begin with.

That may sound frightening, but for those of us who belong to Jesus, it can actually be incredibly freeing.

Because while we are not in control, God is.

Proverbs 3:5–6 gives us one of the most comforting instructions in all of Scripture:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”

Oh, how difficult that can be!

Especially when we desperately want to understand. We want answers. We want to know what is going to happen next. We want God to hand us a detailed map, preferably with all the potholes marked and a nice little note telling us exactly where the road ends!

But faith doesn't always come with a map.

Sometimes God simply says, “Take My hand and walk with Me.”

Human understanding is limited. We see one tiny piece of the puzzle while God sees the entire picture. We see today's problem; He sees tomorrow's provision. We see uncertainty; He sees the path ahead. We see a closed door; He may already be preparing another one we haven't even noticed.

And that brings me to Ross and me today.

Today, Ross is meeting with a general surgeon to schedule a colonoscopy. Like so many appointments we've faced recently, there are questions we don't have answers to yet. There is always that temptation to let our minds race ahead and imagine every possible outcome.

But we're choosing to trust God.

That doesn't mean we aren't concerned. It doesn't mean we pretend everything is easy. Trusting God isn't pretending we don't feel fear—it is choosing to place that fear into His hands rather than allowing it to control us.

So today, we will take the next step.

We will go to the appointment.

We will listen.

We will ask questions.

And then we will continue walking forward, trusting the One who already knows what tomorrow holds.

We don't know every detail of the road ahead, but we know the One walking beside us.

And for today, that is enough.

A Quiet Strength That Comes From Trust

Peter reminds us of the holy women of old who put their hope in God.

Sarah's life certainly wasn't predictable or easy. She experienced uncertainty, displacement, long seasons of waiting, and promises that seemed impossible from a human perspective.

Yet her hope was ultimately anchored in God.

There is something beautiful about a person who has learned they don't have to control everything.

I'm not talking about weakness.

Actually, I think it takes tremendous strength to surrender.

It takes strength to say:

“God, I don't understand this, but I trust You.”

“Lord, this isn't what I would have chosen, but I know You are still good.”

“Father, I cannot control the outcome, but I can choose where I place my faith.”

A quiet spirit isn't necessarily a silent personality. Lord knows, those of you who know me and Ross probably realize silence isn't always our strongest gift! 😂

A quiet spirit is something much deeper.

It is a heart that has learned to rest in God.

It is the ability to face uncertainty without being destroyed by it.

It is knowing that even when the storm around us is loud, there can still be peace within us.

Not because everything is okay.

But because God is still God.

Bringing Our Hidden Hearts Into the Light

Luke 12:2 tells us that eventually everything hidden will be revealed.

At first, that verse can sound rather intimidating.

After all, God sees everything.

He sees the things we say out loud and the thoughts we never share. He sees our good intentions and our wrong motives. He sees our faith—and He sees our doubts.

There is absolutely nothing hidden from Him.

But here's the beautiful thing for those who belong to Christ:

We don't have to hide from the One who already knows us completely.

How exhausting it is to constantly wear a mask.

To pretend we're stronger than we are.

To smile when our hearts are breaking.

To say “I'm fine” when we desperately need prayer.

God isn't asking us to perform for Him.

He isn't impressed by a carefully polished religious image.

He wants our real hearts.

The messy parts.

The fearful parts.

The confused parts.

The questions.

The tears.

The struggles we don't know how to explain.

When we bring those things into His light, something beautiful happens.

The darkness loses its power.

God does not reveal our brokenness to shame us.

He reveals what needs healing.

He shines His light into the hidden places so that His grace can reach places we may have tried to keep locked away.

We can stop hiding.

We are fully known and still deeply loved.

Redeemed and Secure

And that brings us to the beautiful promise found in Psalm 34:22:

“But the Lord will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.”

What a wonderful promise!

God sees everything about us, yet through Jesus, we are not condemned.

We are redeemed.

Bought back.

Forgiven.

Restored.

Loved.

The safest place in the world isn't a place where nothing bad can happen.

The safest place is in the hands of God.

Sometimes we mistakenly think taking refuge in God means hiding from life's problems.

But perhaps true refuge means something different.

Perhaps it means we stop hiding from God and begin hiding in God.

There is a difference.

We don't run from Him when life becomes difficult.

We run toward Him.

We bring Him the doctor's appointments.

The test results.

The unanswered questions.

The financial worries.

The family struggles.

The fears that wake us up in the middle of the night.

We bring Him everything.

Because He already knows.

And He already loves us.

Walking Forward Without Knowing Everything

Today, perhaps you are facing something you cannot control.

Maybe you're waiting for answers.

Maybe you're facing a medical appointment.

Maybe you're worried about someone you love.

Maybe your future feels uncertain.

Can I remind you of something?

You do not have to understand everything to trust God.

You don't have to know how the story ends to know the Author is good.

You don't have to see the entire path to take the next step.

And you don't have to carry tomorrow when God has only asked you to walk faithfully through today.

Ross and I don't know everything that lies ahead. Honestly, none of us do.

But today, we know this:

God is already there.

He will be with us in the surgeon's office.

He will be with us in the waiting.

He will be with us in the answers.

And He will be with us in whatever comes next.

The same is true for you.

So let's stop exhausting ourselves trying to control what was never ours to control.

Instead, let's place our lives into the hands of the One who sees what is hidden, knows what is coming, directs our paths, redeems our souls, and loves us more deeply than we can possibly imagine.

Trust Him with your whole heart.

Not because you understand everything.

But because He does.

And that, my friends, is enough.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You that we do not have to carry the weight of controlling our lives. Forgive us for the times we have tried to figure everything out on our own, leaning on our limited understanding instead of trusting Your perfect wisdom.

Lord, help us surrender our plans, our fears, our questions, and our futures into Your loving hands. When we cannot see the path ahead, remind us that You can. When we are tempted to worry about tomorrow, help us trust You for today.

Father, I especially lift Ross up to You today as he meets with the general surgeon. Go before him into that appointment. Give wisdom to every doctor involved in his care and guide every decision that needs to be made. Bring peace to Ross and calm to both of our hearts as we take this next step.

Whatever lies ahead, Lord, we know You will already be there.

Help us to walk honestly before You, bringing our hidden fears and struggles into Your healing light. Thank You that we do not have to hide from You. You know us completely, and yet You love us completely.

Thank You for redeeming us, restoring us, and being our safe refuge.

Today, we choose faith over fear.

We choose surrender over control.

We choose to trust You even when we don't understand.

In Jesus' precious name,

Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth,

As it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom,

And the power, and the glory,

Forever and ever.

Amen.

BELIEVE, OBEY, BE BLESSED. AMEN. BOBBA ❤️

Love, Penny 💛

 #Godisgood #faith #devotional