Day 3

Proverbs 19:21 – “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

We like control. We like to believe that if we work hard enough, plan well enough, and pray the right way, life will unfold the way we expect. But control is a mirage. We don’t actually hold the steering wheel—we just grip the dashboard and pretend we do.

The problem isn’t making plans. The problem is placing our trust in them instead of in God. When things go sideways—when the job disappears, the diagnosis comes, or the relationship fractures—we scramble to regain control. But the Gospel offers something better than control: trust.

Jesus lived a surrendered life. He never panicked. Never micromanaged outcomes. Never manipulated circumstances to go His way. He simply walked in step with the Father, trusting that whatever came—storms, betrayals, even death—was held in God’s hands.

And that’s the invitation, to let go. To stop grasping, stop striving, stop exhausting ourselves trying to force life into our own design. The peace we long for isn’t found in securing our plans—it’s found in surrendering them. You must lose your life to gain it!

The Story of Job and the Unseen Battle for Control

Job had everything—wealth, family, health, influence. He was known as a man of deep integrity, one who feared God and turned away from evil. If there was anyone who seemed to be doing life “right,” it was Job.

Then, in a moment, everything unraveled.

What Job didn’t know—what none of us know in our own suffering—was that a conversation was taking place in the unseen realm. In Job 1:6-12, we see a rare glimpse into the divine council. The heavenly beings gather before God, and among them is the satan, the accuser.

God points to Job as a man who is righteous, but the satan challenges Him:
“Does Job fear God for no reason? Have You not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has on every side? But stretch out Your hand, and he will curse You to Your face.” (Job 1:9-11)

Without Job’s knowledge, a test begins. God allows suffering to come—not as punishment, but as a proving ground. Job loses his wealth, his children, and his health in a matter of moments. His world collapses. His plans are shattered. His control is gone.

And yet, Job does not curse God. He wrestles, he questions, he grieves, but he does not turn away. And in the end, when God finally answers him, He doesn’t explain the unseen conversation or the cosmic test. He simply reveals Himself— His power, His wisdom, His sovereignty beyond human understanding. Job responds with surrender:
“I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.” (Job 42:5)

Job learned what we must all learn: our suffering is not proof of God’s absence. Our loss of control is not proof of chaos. Even when we can’t see it, there is a plan unfolding in the unseen realm. And in the end, what we truly need is not control, but God Himself.

What This Means for Us
• Surrender is not weakness. It’s an act of faith.
• God’s sovereignty is better than our strategy. His plans don’t always align with ours, but they are always good.
• Peace isn’t in control—it’s in trust.
• The safest place isn’t having everything figured out. It’s knowing the One who does.

Reflection:
1. Where in your life are you grasping for control?
2. What fears keep you from surrendering?
3. How would your life change if you truly trusted God with your plans?

Do Something:
Physically open your hands. Whatever you’re holding onto—your plans, your anxieties, your expectations—imagine placing them in God’s hands. Pray, “Lord, I trust You. Even in this.”