I’m sure all of us have been hit in the gut and had the wind knocked out of us. Maybe ladies don’t know this, but we have all had news hit us which does the same–takes our breath away. I had this happen a couple times in one day–yesterday. The one was simply listening to what one of the guys in our Celebrate Recovery group is going through, and the other hit closer to home. In both cases, I heard the news and for a moment, felt helpless. I wasn’t sure what I was to do in either case.

This morning as I’ve had my devotional time I’ve been reminded that it is in our weakness that God is made strong. Each and every time we try to take matters into our own hands and “fix” things, it looks like man has been working (and that usually is not a compliment). When we let go of the control switch and let God have control, the outcome looks like God working. This is what I sense God saying to me, “Do what I have given you to do and let Me do what I don’t want you doing.” The beauty of this is that God makes it clear what my steps are to be. My responsibility is to not do anymore than that.

I finished reading in I Kings about Elijah and King Ahab. When Ahab’s wife Jezebel found out about the slaying of the false god prophets, she had Elijah informed she would have the same done to him within the next day. Elijah fled as he heard this news. God didn’t tell him to flee, this was his response after all he’d done in response to God’s leading. In his fleeing, God fed him, had him rest and then gave him his next assignment. For a moment Elijah responded to fear. God, on the other hand, stayed calm and simply gave him what he needed, food and rest.

God does the same for us today. When fear hits us in the gut we have a choice to make. I want to learn from this to rest, take in good nourishment and let God lead.