Trusting God With What You Cannot Fix - Your Nightly Prayer - October 19

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Trusting God With What You Cannot Fix

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” —Psalm 46:10

SOMETHING TO PONDER

I like to think that I can fix anything. It’s entirely unreasonable. I didn’t go to some “fix-it” school. I have no qualifications apart from having a YouTube account. There’s just something about admitting that something is broken and needs to be thrown away that I cannot stomach. I guess, as a little boy, I was convinced by those Michael Landon infomercials where he told me, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

But Michael Landon still died of pancreatic cancer.

Sometimes you just can’t fix things. I like the word that Zack Eswine uses for this. He calls them “inconsolable things”. He uses that phrase for the kinds of suffering that will not be completely put right until Jesus makes all things new. Our world is filled with those things.

Psalm 46 is written into a world filled with inconsolable things. The earth is giving way. Mountains are falling into the sea. Nations are raging. And then God speaks: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

A little side note here, though. We usually hear “be still’ as an invitation to quiet our minds and enjoy a peaceful moment with God. We read it as a call to inaction for those who love God. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I don’t think that is what this verse is saying. God isn’t speaking to “us”, He’s speaking to the inconsolable things. He is speaking into the chaos and reminding everyone that He is God. This is Jesus speaking into the raging storm and saying, “Hush, you!!”

And that’s actually where our rest comes from. It’s what actually provokes stillness within our souls as well. God is telling the chaos to be quiet. And that actually should calm us. One day, all will be made well. Inconsolable things on earth aren’t that way in heaven. We can surrender those things into His hands.

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Father, I realize that I have so little control over my life. Yet, I keep trying to grab control. I keep thinking that if I can just get my hands on things, I can ultimately fix it. Because you made me in your image, there are many things that I can fix. But nothing apart from you. And there are some things that won’t be fixed until Jesus makes all things right. I surrender these into your hands. You know the inconsolable things in my life, the things that still hurt, still feel unfinished, and may remain unresolved for a while. Thank You that even the things You have not yet fixed are not outside Your care. Tonight, help me to cease striving, place what I cannot control into Your hands, and rest in You. Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

What is the thing I keep trying to fix that may be outside of my control?

Tell it to God. Consider whether your thoughts are moving you toward faithful action or simply circling something you cannot change.

What actually belongs to me in this situation, and what belongs to God?

Maybe there is something you need to do tomorrow. But you don’t have to figure out tonight how to make everything work out.

How does Psalm 46 change the way I see an unresolved situation?

God does not promise that everything will be fixed tonight. He does remind us that the chaos is never outside of His authority. Ask Him to help you trust what He is doing, even when you cannot yet see how He will make things right.

Go Deeper: Something Good Will Grow

What if the darkest seasons of your life are not evidence that God has abandoned you—but the very soil where He is quietly growing something good?

This week on The Love Offering Podcast, I’m talking with my dear friend Nicole Jacobsmeyer, author of Something Good Will Grow. Through her experiences with cancer, miscarriage, depression, rejection, and other deep wounds, Nicole has learned that God’s goodness is not absent in our suffering—even when we cannot yet see what He is doing. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow The Love Offering on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Tinnakorn Jorruang

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