Acknowledge How Little Control You Have

Beloved Kinney,

One of the major themes we keep running into again and again in the book of Genesis
pertains to the amount of control we possess over our lives and circumstances. The
reality is, we possess very little. But God is in control of all. The more we acknowledge
that reality and the more we let it take root in our hearts, the more peace we’ll
experience.

We saw this theme in Genesis 20:18, “For the LORD had closed all the wombs of the
house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.” That verse upholds a key
theme of Genesis: God is in charge of the womb. Which is another way of saying, “God
is in charge of if and when ANYONE has children.

Here how I put it in the sermon this past Sunday…
“Can I say a word to those of you who long for children, but the Lord hasn’t provided
any, perhaps because he hasn’t yet provided a spouse or he hasn’t allowed you to get
pregnant or you’ve experienced miscarriages? It is so painful! Take comfort in this: the
Lord opens and closes the womb. That’s a general way of saying, ‘He is the one who
ensures everything will happen in order for you to have a baby.’ Think of all that’s
required to have a baby (according to God’s design):

• You have to find someone who loves the Lord, who’s in your similar stage of life,

whom you could see spending the rest of your life with. That already narrows
things.

• God has to sovereignly bring someone across your path for that to happen.
• Then you work through all the necessary things to make sure your marriage will

be on a solid foundation.

• You get blessing from family and friends.
• Then, if you pass all that, you get married.
• But on both ends, everything needs to be working physiologically.
• And then, the timing for conception needs to be just right.
• And then everything after that needs to go smoothly. A lot can go wrong in

pregnancy and delivery.

I’m saying this not to discourage any of you or fuel anxiety in any of you. I’m saying this
to remind you that God is in charge. There are so many details outside of your control.
Therefore, you can take comfort when the ‘womb’ is closed. It doesn’t mean you’re
doing something wrong. It means God hasn’t opened it. So trust him.”

May we find rest in knowing how little control we have, but God has total control!

Love,
Pastor Josh