The Rhythm of Letting Go

Week 33, Friday

Lori McDaniel

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 (nkjv)

“Fear not” are words encouraging us toward a healthy realization that God is adequate and in control and we are not. They are an invitation from God to let go and move forward with a heart in a position of rest. Letting go liberates our souls to live in anticipation of what God will do.

My two boys were in a rhythm of jumping to me in the pool. I’d catch one while the other waited his turn. My five-year-old jumped and created a large splash that blinded me from seeing that my two-year-old had also jumped into the pool. I carried the older boy back to the edge and panicked when I didn’t see my younger son. Realizing he could be in the water, I searched. There he sat, at the bottom of the pool, his eyes looking up at mine. He was not flailing or thrashing about, but calmly waiting for me to do what I had always done: pick him up and take him where he needed to be.

The rhythm of letting go is that we identify our fears. We do not negotiate with them, but abandon them, releasing our hearts to trust that God’s hands will be there to catch us. We do not thrash about, but rest in truth that He will lead, deliver, uphold, help, and be with us. Letting go is more than a casual consent or an “I give up.” It’s a tenacious release of all that we are into all that He is.

Releasing our fear demands that we believe God. His job is the most important because it requires that He follow through on what He says He will do. Once we release and experience God’s apprehension of us, we want to do it again because we realize His promises are true. Our passion and zeal for experiencing the unknown is then based on our trust in who God is. Releasing our fear unlocks the potential for God’s moving in unexplainable ways and leads us to an unrelenting passion for Him.

God, I release all that I hold on to. I trust You even in the unknown. Thank You for leading, holding, helping, and delivering me. Amen.