Do You Have Trouble Letting Go? By Lisa Burkhardt Worley

Every year, with trepidation, I lay my life before God. All my activities including ministry outreach, are handed over to the Lord for reevaluation.

Am I supposed to sign up for another year?

Should I keep this going?

I am always worried that our Divine Director might ask me to give up something I love doing, what about you? But here’s what I know—regardless of how we feel about the work, regardless of how much we love the results of our efforts, we have to trust God when he says the season is over. He sees beyond today, and most of the time He has a much grander assignment than we are privy to at this time. 

I’ve already had answers for two of the larger ongoing outreaches I am involved in, one through a vivid dream that clearly told me I was to stay. The other was through circumstance. A flood of favor poured into my lap after I prayed for God’s direction. I took that as a sign I was to remain in this role.

But what do you do when God tells you to give something up, even when He hasn’t shown you what’s next?

I was reading in the book of Exodus this week about Moses’ negotiations with Pharaoh to release God’s chosen ones from captivity. There was a pattern. Moses would ask Pharaoh to release the Israelites so they could go worship in the desert. Pharaoh replied to the request with a firm no, then God would send a plague. Pharaoh would then agree to let the Israelites go if God would just remove the plague. God did, then Pharaoh’s heart would harden and he would change his mind. This pattern went on for ten different plagues. 

Request. Reject. PLAGUE. Relent. Retract. 

I thought, I am no better than Pharoah. God requests that I let something go. I say I will, then I drag my feet and take it back. Then God sends another sign as a gentle encourager to remind me to relinquish a project. Okay I’ll let it go. Then I repeat the pattern and stick with the status quo. 

Am I speaking to you? Why is it so difficult to step out of the comfortable old shoe in exchange for the unknown that God is calling us to?

Why can’t we let go of the job?

A volunteer position?

A mindset?

The pain?

When God directs us to let go, and we don’t, the plagues continue until our loving God finally has to take matters into His own hand.

That’s not what He wants. When He says to “go” He wants us, like Abraham, to move forward on faith, no questions asked. 

How is God directing your steps this year? Are you acting on what He is telling you?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6).