How To Let Go And Let God: A Comprehensive Guide
Letting go and letting God can feel impossible when you’re faced with a difficult situation. However, trusting in God’s plan requires surrendering control and having faith that He will guide you down the best path.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Let go of the need to control outcomes, pray for guidance, and take comfort knowing God is in control.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what it means to let go and let God, why it’s so challenging, and actionable tips you can start applying today to fully place your trust in Him during life’s toughest moments.
Understanding What Letting Go and Letting God Means
Letting go of the need to control
One of the hardest things for many of us is letting go of the need to control every little thing in our lives. We want to micromanage our relationships, careers, finances, and more.
However, this often leads to anxiety, stress, and dissatisfaction when things don’t go exactly according to our plan.
Letting go and letting God means releasing the tight grip you have on controlling your life and trusting that God has a better plan in place for you.
Even if things feel chaotic or unclear in the moment, you can find comfort and peace knowing that God can see the bigger picture.
Surrendering to God’s will over your own
Along with letting go of control, letting God also involves surrendering your will over to God’s will. This means not demanding for certain outcomes just because you want them.
Rather, it requires humbly submitting to God’s greater plan and asking for the grace to accept whatever unfolds in your life.
This surrender demonstrates tremendous faith that God knows what is ultimately best for you. It allows you to release the burden of responsibility and expectation you place on yourself, trusting that God will handle the rest.
When you sincerely pray “not my will but yours be done”, you give God permission to move powerfully in your life.
Having complete faith and trust in God’s plan
Letting go and letting God necessitates having complete faith that God’s plan for your life is good. Even when you hit obstacles, experience pain, or don’t get what you prayed for, you can rest assured that God is weaving all these details together for an ultimate good.
Cultivating this degree of faith is challenging. It requires daily prayer, Scripture study, and relying on the Holy Spirit.
It means reminding yourself of God’s promises when doubt starts to creep in. However, doing so allows you to exchange worry for hope, fear for courage, and anxiety for supernatural peace.
Why Letting Go and Letting God is So Difficult
Letting go and letting God can be incredibly challenging for us humans. Here are some of the main reasons why:
Our human desire for control
We like to feel in control of our lives and our futures. The idea of relinquishing control to a higher power can feel frightening.
Our egos tell us that we know what’s best for ourselves. Letting go means accepting that we are not actually in control of everything that happens in our lives.
Overcoming fear and anxiety about the future
It’s natural to feel anxious about unknown future events. We are worried about what will happen to us, our loved ones, and our livelihoods.
Letting go and letting God asks us to trust that God has it handled – which is easier said than done when we face uncertainty.
Learning to accept uncertainty
Part of why letting go is so hard is that it requires us to accept uncertainty about the future. We want guarantees that everything will work out. But life simply doesn’t provide those. As they say, the only certainty is uncertainty.
Learning to become comfortable with not knowing exactly what the future holds is a key part of letting go.
In the end, letting go is challenging because we are fighting against our human nature. We naturally want to control outcomes, reduce anxiety, and have certainty about the future.
But letting go asks us to go against those impulses for the sake of trusting in God’s greater plan.
Tips for Letting Go and Letting God
Pray for guidance and strength
Turning to prayer in times of struggle can provide the wisdom and fortitude needed to let go. Begin by asking God to grant clarity on any control issues or unhealthy attachments. Request strength and courage to release the outcomes you cannot determine.
Conclude by giving thanks for God’s presence and providence.
The Serenity Prayer is a powerful petition for surrendering control: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
Release outcomes you cannot control
Much suffering is caused by attempting to control situations beyond our influence. Reflect on the circumstances weighing you down – is the root issue truly within your power?
Consider creating a “letting go” list of outcomes not within your authority.
As you release each item to God’s care, visualize giving them up with open hands. Remember: “Let go and let God.” Allow the universe to unfold with trust that your highest good will emerge.
Practice gratitude and living in the present
Dwelling on the past or future often amplifies fear and anxiety. Shift focus to the gift of the present through gratitude.
Each day name at least three blessings – big or small – with thanks. Also consider keeping a gratitude journal.
Consciously bringing mindful awareness to your current experiences helps release regrets and worries while increasing contentment. Let go of what was or what could be by fully embracing what is.
Trust God’s timing
Divine timing rarely aligns with human expectations. Yet, God’s perfect plan accounts for more than we can imagine.
When facing delay or disappointment, avoid the temptation to force solutions. “Let go and let God” move in the fullness of time. Reflect on previous instances when waiting paid off.
Have faith that current hardships will also unveil blessing. Be receptive to spiritual signs and synchronicities God provides along the way. Each step brings you closer to breakthrough.
Let go of perfectionism
The drive for perfection – for oneself, others, or circumstances – is rooted in fear and creates suffering. Consider areas where unrealistic standards prevent peace and contentment.
With compassion, acknowledge perfection as an illusion. Begin detaching self-worth from flawlessness.
Over time, allow rising awareness to highlight perfectionism limitations. Invite God’s unconditional love to gently untangle egoic desires for idealized outcomes.
Release the mythology of perfection with faith in growth through mistakes. Progress, not perfection, is the path.
Finding Comfort and Peace in Letting God Take Control
Remembering God’s unconditional love
God’s love for us is unwavering and transcends human understanding (Ephesians 3:19). Even when we feel unlovable or distant from God, His remarkable love remains constant.
Recalling this can bring great comfort during times when we try to control situations that are out of our hands.
We can rest assured that no matter what happens, God cherishes us deeply.
Understanding God’s plan is greater than ours
As children of God, we can trust that His plans for our lives are good and purposeful (Jeremiah 29:11). However, when our plans and dreams seem to unravel, this can be challenging to accept.
We must remember that God sees the full picture while our understanding is limited.
Though the reasons behind our circumstances may be unclear in the moment, we can find peace in knowing God’s vision for our life is greater than anything we could orchestrate ourselves.
Finding freedom in surrender
Attempting to control every aspect of life is exhausting. But when we release our grip and surrender to God’s will, we find freedom.
As we give God permission to guide our decisions and direct our steps (Proverbs 3:5-6), we relinquish the burden of trying to orchestrate outcomes.
This act of surrender lightens our load and liberates us to enjoy the present moment rather than endlessly worrying about the future. There is peace in accepting that some things are outside of our control.
As believers, surrendering control to God allows His supernatural peace to fill our hearts in the midst of uncertainty. His unconditional love and flawless vision give us the confidence to let go.
Releasing the need to control opens the door for God’s best to unfold in our lives.
Conclusion
Letting go and letting God requires humility, faith, and trust. While it can be incredibly difficult to surrender control, recognizing that God’s plan is greater can bring profound peace and freedom.
By letting go of our human desire to control outcomes and instead seeking and accepting God’s will, we open our hearts to receive His unconditional love and guidance down the best path.
Implementing daily practices such as prayer, meditation, gratitude, and mindful present moment focus allows us to walk in faith by letting go and letting God.
When we sincerely place our complete trust in Him, we begin to experience the comfort, hope, and wisdom that comes from an all-knowing, all-loving Father who wants only the best for His children.
