Turn Your Life Over to God

Verses: Daniel 5 : 1 - 31

My thoughts about the verse

We need you to turn our lives over to God.  This is a very hard thing for people to do.  We have this feeling that we need to control the environment around us.  We do not want to ask for others help.  We do not want to turn over our life, to lose the control that we desire.

We walk around with a chip on our shoulder.  Anytime we feel that someone is trying to take away our control our anxiety increases.  We often will avoid places in which we can’t control.  We often act out when the situation that we are in doesn’t go the way that we think it should.  We might push away friends and family because we feel that they are trying to control our lives.

Look closely at the scripture reading today isn’t that what is happening.  King Belshazzar was trying to control his environment and his life all on his own. He is acting like he is better than anyone around him.  He is sitting there drinking and indulging in things that are outside the barriers of God.  He is being pompous and boasting about his power and authority.  He has felt like he has conquered others all on his own.

Then all of a sudden a hand appears and begins writing on the wall.  You can imagine the anxiety attack that he had at that moment.  He has lost control of his environment and wanted answers.  So he brings people in that he has trusted to tell him what it meant.  They had no idea what the inscription meant on the wall.  King Belshazzar had to trust the Queen when she suggests calling Daniel to interpret the dream.

There he sits and you can imagine the look on his faith as David begins interpreting the writing that had appeared.  The fact was that because Belshazzar tried to keep the control he would be defeated.  He had opportunities in the past to give his life over to God.  Yet, he could not handle losing the control that he had in his life.

Things go from high anxiety to fear of loss.  David told him that he would die and that his kingdom would fall to an outside force.  Belshazzar did not have the same opportunity at that moment to ask God to forgive him like his father.  See Belshazzar even in this moment did not believe that God was needed in his life.

That very night he was killed.  The kingdom fell to an outside force.  His control over the Kingdom and life led to his demise.  His unwillingness to turn his life over to God led to his final fall.

I have been watching a series about people with Obsessive Compulsion Disorder (OCD).  Their life revolves around the need to control the environment.  They are often so trapped in their anxiety and do not believe that they can get well.  Their whole life is based on controlling the environment over the need of companionship or other things.  They clean because they need to protect themselves from diseases.  They stay in their house to protect themselves from other people and perceived threats.  The problem that occurs is their fears are irrational.  They really want to get well, yet they are afraid if they let go of their compulsions their life will fall apart.

How many of us have these compulsions and do not realize what we are doing?  I know that the one compulsion that I have is checking my phone and other people’s phones to make sure the phones have been hung up after a call has ended.  I know this stems from an event where I accidently came out to someone because I thought the phone was hung up but it wasn’t.  My cell phone has really led to some stress because I am afraid that it will dial someone when I am not expecting it.  Yet, I know this is irrational and I have been trying for a long time to just do it once and move on.  I know I have hung up and I will not accidentally call someone or say things that will out me or others.

We need to learn that we have to give over our lives full over to God.  We need to turn over those personal things that are separating us from God.  We have to come to a point in our life that we realize that I cannot do this without God. 

The moment that we decide we need God to handle the hard time in our lives will change us forever.  No longer will we fear the unknown.  No longer will we walk in this world alone.  No longer will the weight of our struggles be on only our shoulders. 

God will help you get through the day to day struggles.  God will provide away to overcome your fears.  God will be there when everyone else runs away.  God will be there if we only turn over our control of our life and let God be the guide.

Prayer:

God we praise you for you are rightly to be praised.  We honor your name for you are the Awesome God.  We thank you God for your live changing love.  Help us accept that we must give our lives over to you.  Help us as we are struggling in this life.  In the name of our Awesome God we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you turned over the control of your life to God?  Are you ready to say that I cannot do it myself?  Is today the day that you say here is my life guide me?