Who Is In Control?

Encounter: Find a quiet space and take a moment to breathe. Ask God to prepare your heart and mind engaging His Word from Psalm 32:8-11. Read it a couple of times and take note of any word or phrase He draws to your attention.

Twenty years ago, Myra and I went to Celina, OH with a friend from work to watch their son ride a bull in a rodeo. While I have always been fascinated watching it, I never considered riding a bull. Mostly because the one-ton bull with a cinch around its hind quarters has all the control and you are just trying to hang on with one hand for 8 seconds.

Life can be like riding a bull. We can feel like we are in control and things are going smooth. Then there are times like riding a raging bull, we are struggling to hang on. This begs the question who is in control? The bull or the rider? Life, ourselves, or God?

The Psalmist writes in Psalm 32; “The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.’” 

What if the path the Lord has chosen isn’t what you considered or desired? Will you still follow the path the Lord has chosen for your life? Or will you put your head down like a bull and follow your way?

 I have found over the course of my life, that when I have tried to go my own way and lean on my own understanding, life became like riding a bull. I was getting knocked around, struggling to hold on and on occasion, getting thrown to the ground. The harder I tried to stay on the bull, the harder the fall became and at times, it felt like the bull was pressing his head into my chest to see if it could push me through the ground.

When I was experiencing these times, I would look to a small plaque I had sitting on my desk with the words from Proverbs 3:5-6;

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

This is one of my many favorite verses. The trick that I am still learning today is to let go, surrender my will or way to follow God’s way or will. This is what He is encouraging us to do in Psalm 32. If we will let go of our selfish ways and desires, repent of our sins, and trust in His way, He will make our paths straight.

Will it be easy for us along our journey? No…life and Satan will be ready to buck and twist as hard as it can to throw us off course. The only way to remain on our “bull” named Life, is trust in the Lord with all our heart AND lean not on our own understanding.

God has called us to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is our example, and we must follow in His steps – paraphrased from1 Peter 2:21

When you are hanging on to that twisting, turning, bucking bull, lean on the grace and strength of God to get you through the full ride!!

Reflect: As you sit and contemplate your past experiences, reflect upon how God rode through the rough experience with you. Reflect on the many bumps, bruises, and maybe broken bones you received, and how He healed you and gave you the strength to get back up and ride again.

Consider what it would take for you to follow God’s pathway for your life. He says, “I will advise you and watch over you.”  Will you allow Him to advise you and watch over you or will you be like a stubborn horse who needs a bit and a bridle to steer you the right direction?

Spiritual Practice: In the book “Disciplines of a Godly Man,” R. Kent Hughes writes something that is important to both men and women; “God calls us in his word to a massive, positive discipline of the mind. This can happen only through a profound exposure to and continual immersion in God’s Word, accompanied by the illumination of the Holy Spirit.”

To be fully immersed in God’s Word requires us to slow down when we read and visualize the scene. Take notice of what you sense with your five senses. Take an inventory of your feelings as you go through the reading. What do you feel? Sit with God and ask Him to reveal to you why you feel the way you feel as you read the Word. Ask Him to show you something about yourself and your relationship with Him as you explore the scripture.

Gather: As you gather in your small groups, explore together what each person needs to trust the pathway that God is calling you to follow. What are some of the challenges that you face and how might you be able to overcome the challenges?