read> Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding (v.5).

An ex-racehorse at my stable, Dawson, is a talented jumper, but he struggles with overanticipation. Whenever we begin a ride, he speeds up, dances in place, and tries to anticipate my commands, not because he’s being defiant but because he’s eager to point out his many strengths. It’s as if he’s trying to say, “Look at what I can do! I can jump REALLY high and go REALLY fast! I know what you want me to do before YOU do! Aren’t you proud of me?” Throughout our ride, I have to tell him with my hands, seat, and legs, “I’m glad you’re so enthusiastic and athletic, but we need to work on a different set of skills right now. Please slow down and let me decide what we’re going to do today.” Once Dawson relaxes and resolves to let me lead, even though he doesn’t know what I’ll ask him to do next, we have a very productive ride.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” A similar thought comes a few chapters later in Proverbs 16:9—“we can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” These words sum up an essential truth: God holds the reins, not us.

We can come to Him with grandiose plans and ideas about how we’ve decided to serve Him, but if God tells us, “That’s wonderful, but that’s not what I need from you right now,” He’s not rejecting our gifts—He’s asking us to serve right where we are with what He’s given us. God provides amazing opportunities to serve Him in unexpected and surprising ways if we just close our eyes, take a deep breath, and surrender control to Him.

more> Read Psalm 27 to see what David has to say about surrendering to the Lord’s leading.

next> Are you content to serve right where you are, or are you trying to tell God how and where YOU think you should serve? How can you surrender control today?

—submitted by Meaghan Minkus, US