We get so pressured in our preoccupation with managing of the details of our lives.  We are haunted by the illusion that we are in control of the outcomes.  This sense of responsibility drives us and keeps us on edge.  This takes away the joy of the journey and exhausts us.

Yet our loving Father invites us to rest in Him:

“In repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.”        Isaiah 30:15
“O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.”           Psalm 131

As much as we like to think that our own efforts are the key that turns the latch, it is God who accomplishes what He wishes through us.  If we rest in Him and allow Him to do His work in us and through us.  A struggling swimmer cannot easily be saved from drowning by his rescuer.  He must “cease striving” and relax limply in the lifeguard’s arms, trusting him to save him from danger.

“He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
The Lord favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness.”           Psalm 147:10-11

O Lord, forgive me for my arrogance, acting as though the outcome of my life depended on my efforts.  Help me to acknowledge my powerlessness, and to rest in Your wisdom and strength.  Let me cooperate actively, but dependently, with You, as you accomplish what You purpose for Your kingdom through my life.