Let God

'Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ' 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

Several months ago, a friend of mine gave me a bracelet with the words “Let God” engraved on it.  For months, it sat on my dresser where I have looked at it almost daily, but I had never removed it from its packaging.  A few weeks ago, as I braced myself for a very difficult day, one filled with attending a conference on Human Trafficking, followed by the funeral of a very special young girl; my heart was heavy and something urged me to put on the bracelet.

Throughout the day, I looked at the words on the bracelet and they seemed to play on a loop in my head.  “Let God”.  But what did those words really mean?  As I played them over and over, I began to feel God reveal to my heart the things in my life that I needed to “Let God” do for me.

Let God Heal:   

We all carry around hurts from our past.  Things we have done or that have been done to us.  Wounds so deep and ugly that we convince ourselves can never be restored.  The hurts that we hide away from the rest of the world, but have a way of affecting every part of our lives.  Pain and hurts that bubbles to the surface in bitterness and mistrust that guards us from being completely authentic with those around us, or worse yet, cause us to hurt others with our words and actions.  We hold on tightly to our pain as if it were some prize, afraid of what will happen if we let it go. 

In 1 Peter 4:19 (ESV) the apostle Peter writes, “So then let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator as they do good." 

But I think for many of us, this is where the largest struggle lies.  Entrusting God with our hurts, letting go of the pain, and not knowing what the outcome will be is scary.  Sometimes I feel like I am defined by my hurts and they have made me who I am today.  They are the reason behind what drives my passion to serve children.  But, God can take my hurt, bandage my wounds, and heal the pain.  He can restore my soul and use is all for His glory. 

In Jeremiah 33:6 (MSG), Jeremiah tells the people how God can bring restoration to Israel and I believe he does the same for us: “But now take another look. I’m going to give this city (you) a thorough renovation, working a true healing inside and out. I’m going to show them life whole, life brimming with blessings. I’ll restore everything that was lost to Judah and Jerusalem."

Friends, we serve a God that can heal every wound, erase every scar and replace them with a life that is whole and brimming with blessings.  Give God your hurts and let Him heal.

Let God Forgive:  

As Christians, most of the time we do a good job of forgiving others of wrongs that have been done to us.  However, when it comes to forgiving ourselves of the wrongs we have done to others, even after we have made amends and asked for forgiveness, we hang on to the guilt and the shame.  We act as if we are not worthy of the same forgiveness that we have offered to other, and instead allow the enemy to use our wrongdoings to put a wedge between us and God. 

Ephesians 1:7 (ESV) says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace”

God’s grace covers our every wrong and the blood of His son Jesus, who died for our every sin, erases it forever.  God’s promise of forgiveness is scattered throughout the Bible, the entire book was written to show us how beloved and precious we are to Him.

"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 (NLT)

Imagine what we could do for God’s glory and for His kingdom, if we would just allow him to forgive us.  There is no sin to great that our God cannot forgive.

Let God Restore: 

When we get out of our own way and allow God to forgive and heal us, the enemy is silenced and there is no limit to what God can do in us and through us. 

In 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT) Paul writes to Timothy “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

Once we let go of everything that is weighing us down and holding us back and allow God into every corner of our hearts, He replaces our fear with courage, our timidity with boldness.  His love shine through us and our thoughts and actions are for His glory.  When I think about redemption and restoration, I often think “who am I to be in ministry?”  “If people knew the things I have done in my past…” But then I am reminded of Saul, who became the apostle Paul.  Saul slaughtered Christians for following Jesus, and God forgave and healed him from his past and redeemed him by using Paul to spread the Good News around the world.  I am reminded of stories like Rahab where God used a prostitute to carry out His plan, and she in turn was the great, great, great…. grandmother of Jesus.  God can bring new life from the ashes.  There is never too far, this side of death, that we can stray that God cannot bring us back into His fold and restore and redeem us. 

No matter where you are in your walk with Christ, He will never stop pursuing you, never stop seeking you and never stop loving you.  God wants the very, very best for you.  My prayer for you today is that whatever hurts, or pain, or guilt or shame that you are holding onto, that you would have the courage to let go, and LET GOD.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave. his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. “ John 3:16 (NLT)