Giving It to God: Surrendering Control and Trusting His Plan
- jesse bean
- Jan 21
- 4 min read
Letting go of pain, control, or unmet expectations is one of life’s greatest challenges. Therapy offers powerful tools for processing emotions and understanding our behaviors, but it often only addresses part of the equation. Faith, with its spiritual grounding, offers the completeness that human effort alone cannot achieve. By leaning into God’s promises, we can experience healing that surpasses understanding. Here is a deep dive into how faith completes what therapy begins and practical steps to surrender control.
1. Acknowledge the Limits of Control
One of the first steps to surrendering is acknowledging what is beyond our control. Therapy often emphasizes identifying the boundaries of our influence, but faith reminds us to entrust those things to God. Proverbs 3:5-6 encourages, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Recognizing our limitations doesn’t mean defeat; it’s a humble admission that God’s wisdom and power far exceed ours.
Reinhold Niebuhr’s famous Serenity Prayer encapsulates this concept beautifully: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” When we embrace this mindset, we shift from the burden of control to the peace of trust.
Practical Tip: Create a physical list of things within and beyond your control. Pray over the list, asking God to guide your actions on the controllable items and to take the uncontrollable ones into His hands.
2. Replace Rumination with Surrender
Therapy often helps us identify and interrupt harmful thought patterns like rumination, but faith takes it a step further by offering a solution: surrender. Philippians 4:6-7 provides this transformative promise: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Surrender is not passive resignation but an active choice to release control to God. When we shift our focus from dwelling on problems to trusting in His sovereignty, we find relief from mental and emotional exhaustion.
Practical Tip: When you catch yourself ruminating, pause and pray. Say, “Lord, I release this situation to You. Please grant me Your peace.” Over time, this practice rewires your thinking, replacing worry with trust.
3. Embrace Rest
In a world that glorifies busyness, rest can feel counterintuitive. Yet, Jesus modeled rest as a vital part of surrender. In Matthew 11:28, He invites us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Resting in God’s presence is both a physical and spiritual act of trust, acknowledging that He is in control while we pause.
Scientific studies confirm the benefits of rest on mental health. Rest reduces cortisol levels, the stress hormone, and allows the brain to reset, promoting emotional resilience. From a biblical perspective, resting in God’s promises recalibrates our spirit, reminding us of His faithfulness.
Practical Tip: Schedule regular rest periods in your week. Use this time for prayer, worship, or simply being still before God. Reflect on verses like Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”
4. Practice Forgiveness as a Gift to Yourself
Forgiveness is one of the hardest yet most liberating acts of surrender. Therapy often highlights the psychological benefits of forgiveness, such as reduced stress and improved relationships. Biblically, forgiveness is not just a suggestion but a command. Mark 11:25 instructs, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Forgiveness doesn’t excuse wrongdoing; it releases you from the chains of bitterness. It’s a decision to let go of the emotional weight of the offense, trusting God to handle justice and reconciliation. As Lewis B. Smedes said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”
Practical Tip: Write a letter to the person you need to forgive, expressing your emotions and decision to forgive them. You don’t need to send it—this act is for your healing. Pray over the letter, asking God for the strength to release the hurt fully.
5. Focus on an Eternal Perspective
One of faith’s most powerful tools is its ability to shift our focus from temporary struggles to eternal promises. Colossians 3:2 instructs, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Therapy helps us reframe our thoughts, but faith offers the ultimate reframe—viewing our challenges in light of God’s eternal plan.
By focusing on eternity, we can endure hardships with hope. As C.S. Lewis observed, “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither.” Trusting that God is working all things for good (Romans 8:28) provides peace that surpasses understanding, even in the face of trials.
Practical Tip: When overwhelmed by a challenge, pause and ask yourself, “How does this fit into God’s eternal plan?” Meditate on Revelation 21:4: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Conclusion: Healing Through Surrender
Surrendering control is not about giving up; it’s about giving over. Therapy equips us with tools to understand and process our struggles, while faith offers the spiritual foundation for complete healing. By acknowledging our limits, replacing rumination with surrender, embracing rest, practicing forgiveness, and focusing on eternity, we can find freedom from burdens that weigh us down.
As we trust God’s sovereignty and lean into His promises, we experience the peace and healing that only He can provide. Remember, as Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
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