With every new year, there is a phenomenon of people trying to take back control over their lives. Planners are bought; resolutions are set; goals are made.
Just look at our emotionally driven culture- follow your heart. What do you need in order to follow your own heart? Control.
It's like every single year when January rolls around, we have a weird instinct to turn our own way and say, "this year, this is what I want it to look like. This is what I want to do. All the things I wanted to do last year I'll finally get around to. This is my year. New year, new me!"
Is there even the slightest possibility that there is a deeper problem at hand, which perhaps is in each one of us? The problem being that we are constantly trying to pick back up the heavy burden we have already surrendered to Christ? Maybe not, maybe so.
The interesting thing about our feeble attempt to gain control is how it never provides us the comfort we thought it would, quite the contrary; it leaves us feeling more anxious than before. And then the lie comes that to overcome that anxiety we must somehow regain more control.
But here is the Good News that enables our freedom from this cycle of desire and planning and controlling and resolution-ing (I don't think that's a word, but I think you get my meaning, haha!). Jesus extends peace; true, satisfying peace from whatever burden we carry, whether it be control or something else entirely.
Isaiah 53, a chapter that prophesies of Jesus, reads:
"But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." -Isaiah 53:5–6
All of our iniquity. All of our iniquity. Was laid on Jesus. The cup was poured out, the debt was paid in full, it is finished! The Lord says to His people in the following chapter," with great compassion I will gather you" (54:7).
Out of His extravagant compassion, He gathers His wandering, restless and anxious sheep, returning us to His fold. Out of the freedom Christ gives, we can pray confidently, "thy will be done" instead of "my will be done", "my goals for this year be done", "my schedule be done".
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." -Isaiah 55:8–11
Instead of picking up the burden of control over this year, pick up the easy yoke of our Lord Jesus. As His thoughts and ways are higher, so is His will over your life and my own. You can trust Him, your peace has been paid for (Isaiah 53:4) if you only listen and know the voice of the gentle, humble, and good shepherd.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28
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