Living Out of Control

I want to live my life out of control. I’m not talking about going crazy and being “out-of-control”. I’m talking about living in a way that forces me to depend on God. I want to let God be in complete control of my life. Knowing exactly where I’m headed and having all the answers to life doesn’t really matter. All I need to know is that I am living for a God who has the world in his hands and has complete control over all things. As I was thinking about the need to live my life in complete dependence on God the story of Elijah and the widow came to my mind.

The story in 1 Kings 17:7-24 is about a widow Elijah met in Zarephath whose life was out of control. Not only was she a single mother, but she and her son were on the verge of starvation during a time of drought—nothing she had control over. When Elijah heard the situation she was in he told her not to worry because God would provide for her. The woman obeyed and lived day to day only with the faith that God would be true to his promise and not let her flour or oil run out. As the widow obeyed the words of God from Elijah and trusted on God for a miracle, God proved himself dependable. Miraculously her flour and oil never ran dry. A little later, though, the widow’s son died. It was as if God was reminding the women that he was in complete control over all aspects of her life. He wasn’t ok with the widow simply depending on God for food, she had to completely trust and obey God in all circumstances and with everything. The widow was doing her best to keep food on the table so that she could keep her son alive and then he gets sick and dies anyway. The former miracle of the flour and oil never running out seems tiny in comparison to what God did next. He gave life back to the boy. Now there would be no question that was God who had complete control.

As the widow lived a life clearly beyond her control and in obedience to God—God proved that he was in control and powerful enough to take care of all her problems. Her life was lived in complete dependence on God. I read this story and got to thinking about how I very often live my life as though I am the one in control. There’s not that much I feel like I have to depend on God for and I don’t really expect or even need miracles. What would happen if I actually did let God be in control of my life instead of me always trying to figure it all out on my own? What would happen if I started asking God for miracles? I’m not saying I want to go off and live irresponsibly, I just want to live like Proverbs 3:5-6 says to: trusting in the Lord with all my heart, not depending on my own understanding, but acknowledging God in everything. After all, what do I really need to worry about? “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:25-34). It is when I am most out of control that God is most powerfully in control.