The Dice

My dear sister in Christ, do you struggle with wanting to be in control of almost every situation like I do? Whew! A bit of relief came with that confession.

The desire to take matters into my own hands and arrange, direct, instruct, and in other words, control everything often stifles the joy out of many things.

As often as I think I have learned to let go and allow God and other trustworthy persons in my life to take the lead, I still end up holding on tightly.

The book of Proverbs has been a source of refuge and strength for me in so many ways. I have read this book in the Bible again and again.

And every time I read it, I learn something new and refreshing. In one of my most recent readings, I came across Proverbs 16:33, which reminds us that when a die is thrown, we can’t control the outcome —only God knows how it will fall.

Now, let us be clear; this is by no means advocating gambling, and I chuckle at the thought. But it suggests that even though we work feverishly to direct how events in our lives turn out, the outcome is determined by God.

Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus! That is an awesome concept. So when that application is declined or that investment falls through or maybe that relationship ends, could it be that God decided that the outcome of those thrown dice was not what He desired for you at that particular time? This idea does not preclude the fact that our actions and decisions contribute to how things happen in our lives, so we do have to keep that in mind. But as painful as some of the disappointments we face are, rest assured that God has control of the situation. He will allow the right outcomes so we can put our trust in Him. May God help us not fall prey to the idea that we should let our desire to control things get in the way of His leading in our lives. May God bless you as you surrender your will to His divine leading and swiftly obey when He shows you where to go.

Taniesha K. Robertson-Brown