Written by Dawn Rutan
C.S. Lewis writes about his wife: “Joy tells me that once, years ago, she was haunted one morning by a feeling that God wanted something of her, a persistent pressure like the nag of a neglected duty. And till mid-morning she kept on wondering what it was. But the moment she stopped worrying, the answer came through as plain as a spoken voice. It was ‘I don’t want you to do anything. I want to give you something’: and immediately her heart was full of peace and delight. St. Augustine says ‘God gives where He finds empty hands.’” (Yours, Jack, p. 309).
I remember being told a long time ago that we need to approach God with open hands—open to let go of whatever we may be grasping, and open to receive whatever God may want to give. I can think of many times when I’ve come before God with my hands clenched. Sometimes I’ve wanted Him to fix a particular problem, so I come like a child who won’t uncover his wound for fear that the treatment will be painful. Sometimes I’ve come with clenched fists to argue my case for why I am right and He is wrong. Sometimes I have breezed through, wanting Him to bless the plans that I have made, but not waiting to see whether He might have other plans.
It’s a bit dangerous and it takes faith to come with open hands when you don’t know exactly what God may want to give to you or take from you. Often our refusal to open our hands is an indicator that we don’t trust God, and we don’t believe in His goodness, grace, and mercy. If His character is like that of an angry father or a merciless judge, we have no reason to make ourselves vulnerable before Him or to let go of whatever we think we own. But if He is a loving Father who gives good gifts to His children, we are free to release what we have in expectation of something better (Matthew 7:11).
John 15:2 says “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes” (ESV). Even though we may be bearing fruit, God may remove something good in order for us to bear better fruit and more fruit. I don’t think anyone particularly enjoys the experience of being pruned, but hopefully when we look back we can see that it was for our benefit and God’s glory. Even Jesus had to remove His physical presence from the disciples so that they could then receive the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). I’m sure they couldn’t imagine how losing that relationship would result in something better.
Hebrews 4:9-10 tells us “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His.” More than once recently God has reminded me, “Just rest, I’ve got this. Relax.” Our busyness and concerns are probably the hardest things to relinquish to God’s control. What if it doesn’t get done? What if I don’t have the answer? What if I look bad? What if…? But God says rest. Can I trust Him to provide for this need and to give me the answers? Can I be assured that He will find a way to glorify Himself in my weakness? Can I really relax and let Him take charge?
Scripture is full of reminders about God’s faithfulness, care, provision, protection, and power. The real question is whether I believe that it’s true at the core of my being. And if it is, that belief needs to inform my choices and actions every day, not just when I find I’m at the end of my rope.
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
