Momentum (Christ – centred, Spirit – empowered, Mission – focused)
Life can change in an instant! A few weeks ago, I stopped to buy a Coke Zero, my favorite beverage, and was looking forward to an uneventful commute home from the National Ministry Centre. I was heading into an intersection when a car pulled out in front of me. I had a split second to respond, so I cranked the steering wheel to the right and narrowly avoided a collision. I found myself completely out of control. My car left the highway and began to go down a steep embankment. The first thought that came into my mind was that the air bag was going to deploy at any moment and it was going to really hurt. I repeated to myself, “This is going to hurt, this is going to hurt!”
The car thudded to an abrupt halt in a culvert at the bottom of a ravine, and to my relief, the airbag did not deploy. I sat for a moment in complete shock. I initially thought that the liquid dripping from the steering wheel and dashboard was blood, but after a quick taste test, I discovered to my delight that it was Coke Zero.
I pushed the door open and climbed out of my car. I was completely unharmed – not even a scratch! The car was a different story; it was a complete write-off. I was thankful that I was not hurt and the young nurse that I avoided colliding into was safe, but I grieved the loss of my car.
It is easy to hold on to the stuff of life too tightly. I learned the powerful truth that we can hold things loosely because we are held tightly. God is sovereign and everything in his hands is not out of control!
In Acts 27, a terrible storm threatened the life of Paul and those on board the ship. In the midst of the terror, Paul declared, “…I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed” (Acts 27:22). We can hold things loosely because we are held tightly!
The potential for loss is all around us: financial loss, the loss of our health, the loss of a ministry, the loss of our image, the loss of a dream, the loss of a relationship. Everything can change in a split second; however, as followers of Jesus, we can find peace in loss because we are held tightly in God’s sovereign grip.
When John Wesley was travelling on a ship from England to America, a massive storm threatened to sink the vessel. Everyone was terrified accept for a small group of Christians who were huddled together singing hymns of praise. When John Wesley asked them why they were not afraid, they replied, “If the Lord wills to have us drown, sudden death will be sudden glory!” Wesley exclaimed, “I want what they have!”
We can hold things loosely because we are held tightly. What is it in your life that God is asking you to loosen your grip on? What potential loss creates the most anxiety for you? Let it go! God has you in his grip.
Paul writes; “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
In other words, “I’ve got you!”
Recently, I wrote these words in my prayer journal;
David, my son, you spend so much energy trying to hold onto me. Do you not realize that I am actually holding you? My grip is secure, my grip is loving, and my grip is without a time limit. Rest in me. You have nothing to prove, nothing to achieve, no one to please. I am enough. I am pleased! You are safe! Be still!
I re-visited the scene of the accident and I am amazed that I walked away unharmed. The bumper of my car is still lodged in the ice at the bottom of the culvert; it is almost like a tombstone. I think I will check in on it once in a while to simply remind myself that I can hold things loosely because he holds me tightly!
Please find the original version in C&MA website