How Do I “Let Go; Let God?”

I am anxious to share my thoughts with you concerning a very common phrase that I hear quite frequently; a phrase that always causes me to wonder; “what does the person expect will happen as a result of that statement?”  Without question the phrase IS the correct answer to ANY problem, yet I am fascinated with the “flippancy” with which it is used.  I have been part of a 12 step recovery program for the past fourteen years, and this is rather common jargon in that setting.  But I am more and more convinced that the use – or misuse – of the phrase is wide spread.

The phrase I am referencing can take one of two common forms: “Let Go; Let God” or “I’m just going to turn it over to God!”  I usually hear the comment after I’ve heard someone “singing the blues” about a weighty problem that has them perplexed, and in resignation they exclaim, “I’m just going to ‘let go and let God.”  After listening to this for years, I have taken the opportunity – when appropriate – to ask the question, “What do you mean when you say, “you’re just going to turn this over to God?”  It is those answers that have inspired today’s posting.

In general I have found that the person making the statement believes that “by turning it over to God”, they will be blessed for making that decision.  In other words, “God I have this problem that I can’t handle.  Please fix it for me and when you want me back in the game, just let me know in some tangible way and I’ll get on with my life”.  Oh yes…thank you!  Occasionally someone will mention the Holy Spirit as being part of that process, but that is infrequent and consistently with a misconception of the Spirit’s role.

So why is this dilemma a big deal to me?  Well…I think it’s a shame to have the right answer at our fingertips and misapply it.  No doubt, “Let Go; Let God” or “turning it over to God” is THE right answer.  But the question is… “How do I do that?”  I hope the following truths will shed some light.

As followers of Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1:3 tells us we are heirs to “all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm”, and a big part of that blessing is God’s plan for our redemption and salvation.  It is a perfect plan that reveals his unfathomable love for us.  Not only does it include the forgiveness of our sins (past, present, and future) and eternal life, but God also blessed us with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit so we can begin experiencing the “abundant life” Jesus promised us in John 10:10.

As Christ-followers, the chasm that here-to-fore kept us separated from God (SIN) was bridged at the cross.  The sacrifice of Jesus was atonement (payment) for our sin, so the sin issue is a dead issue; it has been erased.  We are told in Hebrews 8:12, “I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more”, and Romans 8:1 reassures us that “there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” That, my friends, is indeed Good News! In fact, that is the Gospel of Grace.  Our old self, our sin nature, is gone and we are a “new creation in Christ”. (2Corinthians 5:17) So our challenge today is not our past. Our challenge today is to realize “who we are in Christ” so we can begin living the abundant life Jesus promised.

As I stated earlier, most Christ-followers seem to have an understanding of the first two parts of God’s salvation plan: the forgiveness of our sin and eternal life.  And indeed, they take comfort in that truth.  But the third part, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, in many cases has resulted in confusion and misconception.  That is most unfortunate, because it is that gift that allows Christ-followers to live the life we are called to live right here, right now in this fallen world.  So let me state emphatically what the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is and what it is not.

The Holy Spirit is NOT a fixer.  In other words, we do not call on the Holy Spirit to fix our problems for us.  The Holy Spirit’s role is to empower us to fix our own problems. (I will come back to this point after the next excerpt.) Perhaps this passage from an earlier posting (10-7-2013) entitled “What is the Holy Spirit” will help clarify this matter.

“In the Gospel of John, 14-16, we get a close-up picture of Jesus’ final hours with his disciples in the upper room after the Last Supper.  Jesus told his disciples about his impending death and what it would mean to them as he laid out the series of events that would occur within the next few hours.  He could tell they were shocked and frightened, but he also knew the men in front of him were, of their own volition, a weak lot.  (He was also keenly aware that the responsibility of carrying the message of salvation to the world would rest on their shoulders).  So when he told them he was “going away”, he also told them it was better that he left them so he could ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to be their comforter, counselor,  teacher, and a guide who would lead them into all truth.  This is key…he told them they did not need the Holy Spirit at that time, because He was with them.  Jesus knew that for the past three years the men had drawn whatever strength they had from him, so he promised he would not leave them as orphans.  Instead would send the Holy Spirit to live in them; to empower them to accomplish God’s will.  (For a picture of the transformation that took place in these disciples, I would direct your attention to Acts, 2-4.  These same men who were in hiding during Jesus’ crucifixion became giants among men in terms of spreading the truth of Jesus death and resurrection.  On the day of Pentecost, Peter – the same Peter who recently denied Jesus three times  –  converted 3000 Jews to believers.)”  

So what, or who, is the Holy Spirit?  It is the essence of Jesus Christ living in us.  It is the action part of the Trinity that indwells every person who accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Remember from the above passage, Jesus told the disciples “they did not need the Holy Spirit at that time because He was with them.  But he also knew that after he was gone, they – and we – would still need to draw from his supernatural strength in order to rise above this fallen world to accomplish God’s will.

So it is the Holy Spirit that empowers ALL Christ-followers to face life’s challenges and to grow and mature in the truth of God’s love, mercy and grace.  Jesus never promised his followers a primrose path. In fact, in John 15: 18-25, he told his disciples emphatically that there would be trouble ahead. But rest assured…we are already victorious.  1John 4:4 tells us, “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he that is in this world.” (satan)

So when a formidable challenge seems to have us befuddled and down for the count, our prayer might be, “Holy Spirit, give me the strength; the courage; the wisdom; the perseverance; the patience; whatever it is I need to be the person God needs me to be as I go to battle.”  I hope this makes it abundantly clear that sitting on the sidelines and waiting for our problem to be solved does nothing to contribute to our Christ-like growth. But when we ask to be empowered by the Holy Spirit so we can meet our challenge, that very act brings honor and glory to God.  And that, my friends, is the true meaning of “Let Go; Let God.”  He doesn’t fix it.  He empowers US to fix it!  A-men

Have you ever wrestled with this concept before?  If so, how?

May God Bless Ya, and feel free to respond to this posting.

Dan Presgrave, (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)