THE POWER OF LETTING GO
A wearisome, scorching, July day was coming to a close. I had just finished unloading a large U- haul truck with the aid of some new found friends here in Hammond. I was driving back across town to my temporary dwelling place. With my wife Tammy, and our 4 children, now a thirteen hour drive from me; I was thinking, Lord, I believe I have done the right thing in coming here, but there sure are a great deal of unknowns in this new land! I know that you can work all of the details out Lord, and you will have to, because it is over my head now! A song playing faintly on the radio caught my ear. "You’ve got to let go and let God be God!" The words rung like a bell in my soul! It was as though the Holy Spirit was giving me the key to success in this new assignment, by way of this song I had never heard before. I have found so much joy and peace in my life by just plain and simply doing that! Letting go and letting God be God. When we let go of plans and our purposes and our agenda, God begins to bring about His plans His purposes and He establishes His agenda! This is what I believe every true child of God really wants! Letting go, however, maybe a little easier said than done at times, but when God is in it it is always visited with POWER!
Let’s consider just three Biblical instances for example:
#1) JESUS ON THE CROSS -letting go of life
Lu 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. Mark’s account of His death brings out that the veil of the temple torn from top to bottom. Not bottom to top. God tore apart the petition of separation between Himself and fallen man when Jesus let go of His life! In Matthew’s account of His death, he brings out that there was an earthquake!
Had Jesus held back His life and refused to die that day, Salvation would have never reached you and I. Jesus said in John 12:24 Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die; it abideth alone, but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit. The act of letting go, on Christ part, was accompanied by a powerful earthquake! When we let go of our lives and abandon our wills to God, we will also experience the mighty power of God at work and the lost will come to Jesus!
#2) PAUL AND SILAS IN JAIL - letting go of praise
Do you remember this incredible story? This truly dynamic duo (Acts 16), were going about the Father’s business, lifting up the name of Jesus. They met up with a lady that was under the control of a nasty old demon. They, being full of the Holy Ghost, naturally told the demon that his game was over and cast him out. Oh my, what a hornet’s nest they stirred up when they did that. She could no longer prophe-lie about the future. Her masters became really hot and bothered about this, and they made a stink. Well, to make a long story short, they were thrown into the slammer! Instead of saying things like: "How could this have happened to us?" or, "is this the thanks we get for working for God?" or "the devil is on my back and I can’t get him off’ or "I hate the food, smell, furniture, company, lighting, guards, decor, sound-system, Chaplain, etc." NO, they let go of their praises to God! They did not forget that God was worthy no matter what their circumstances. They did not hold back the praises that God deserved! Guess what happened... Yes, another earthquake! It set them free without harming a soul and the jailer and his family came to Christ! The psalmist said, "LET, THERE BE PRAISE! (Ps. 150:6) In other words, don’t hold it back!
#3) THE EARLY CHURCH - letting go of fear
The leaders of the newborn church had also stirred up a huge stink with the Sadducees. Their contagious faith in Christ, brought strength to a lame mans feet! (Acts 3) You know the rest. He went walking and leaping and praising God! The Sadducees told them that they could not preach any more in this name of Jesus or else! (Acts 4:17-18) Remember, it was the religious bunch that were crying crucify Jesus not many days before this! Well, they gathered back to their prayer closet and told the Heavenly Father about the threats from the "Jesus haters united" group, and asked Him for the guts to keep on preaching; and can you believe what happened? That’s right, another earthquake (Acts 4:31) God granted them a fearlessness to preach Christ and they went out and kept right on telling the wonderous story of Jesus and His love; and because they let go of their fear, they proceeded to turn the world upside down! God is looking for a few in this world that will let go and let God be God! Let’s be people that cause God to shake this dying world again!
Written by
Rev. Tom Anglin, Executive Director
InnerMission Teen Challenge
