Life is Out of Control

Author: Pastor Mike Gutzler

How much is actually sustainable in all of this — COVID-19, hurricanes, wildfires, racial injustice, shootings, school starting, work, home responsibilities, caring for family members and then living out our calling to love God and love our neighbors? What do we do?

One answer is just trying to do more, add more, accomplish more, stay up later, sleep less, take little to no vacation, or hire more help. The “more” options tend to be our cultural response. When we are beyond our limits, it seems like if we add more things everything will be alright, or if we buy one more product it will make our life just a little easier. We want so badly to take control of our own lives and situation, but when we try to hold too tightly, elements of life start to slip through our fingers.

In these moments of exhaustion, frustration, and borderline despair, we need to hear stories of others like Peter who are filled with revelation. In the passage for this week, Jesus asks “who do people say that I am?” Peter’s reply is not of his own experience, encounters, or education. His confession is revealed to him by God.

As Lutherans, we love this. We love the affirmations that we do not come to know God and confess Jesus as Lord by our own efforts but simply through revelation from God. Especially now, with so much happening around us, the gift of faith is a remarkable rope to keep us grounded to our rock that is God.

Given this revelation, we can give ourselves permission to let go a little bit. We can trust we are in good hands and have confidence that God is in far greater control then we will ever be.

Amen