Releasing Control
“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”—Luke 22:42, KJV
Control: To exercise restraining or directing influence over; to have power over; to rule.
In the passage above, Jesus is praying to the Father, asking if the cup of wrath—the suffering He was about to endure—could be removed. Yet before God responds, Jesus adds a powerful declaration: “Not my will, but Yours be done.” Though Jesus had full authority and the power to come down from the cross, He surrendered His will to YHWH.
There’s a song by William McDowell called I Give Myself Away. One of the lines says, “I give myself away so You can use me.” Another says, “Lord, my life is in Your hands.” I used to sing that song often, and I meant every word. But over the years, I’ve realized that while it’s easy to say those words, truly releasing my will is harder than I expected. We can be sincere in what we say, but when the opportunity comes to actually submit our will, it often comes with a challenge.
Some time ago, my husband and I were navigating an insurance claim for one of our homes. I thought I had released control and was letting him handle it—until one day, while we were in the car, he received a call from the insurance adjuster. The call was on speaker because he was driving, and as I listened, I felt myself getting increasingly upset. I didn’t understand the decision he had made or how it would affect our claim. As soon as he hung up, I jumped in with my frustration.
In that moment, I could feel the Holy Spirit gently reminding me that I had released control. But my emotions were so strong that I couldn’t stop myself. My husband calmly said something like, “I prayed about this, and I believe this is what God is leading me to do.” His words made me pause and reflect on my behavior.
Satan is always looking for opportunities to trip us up. He’s strategic. Until that moment, I thought I had let go of control—but the situation revealed otherwise. That’s why Scripture tells us to pray about everything: because we truly can’t do this on our own. Jesus told the disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)
Even with good intentions, our flesh is weak. Without prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit, we will fall back into what we thought we had surrendered.
Key Takeaways:
Good intentions do not always lead to right actions.
Releasing our will to control only happens through the help of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer is the power source for releasing control.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19; Isaiah 55:11
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