Living God’s Way: Letting Go of Control and Trusting God
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 18:1-4 NLT)
Dear Family and Friends,
Bonjour! It is a beautiful day here in France and I hope the same is true wherever you are.
A tidbit I’ve been hanging onto this month continues along with the theme of transition and settling into a new culture. Recently I came across two thought-provoking ideas: (1) “experimenting” to see if God is truly good and (2) what it means to “joyfully surrender.”
Let’s start with experimenting. Each time I’ve faced obstacles or changes in life, I have had to, over and over again, humble myself and remember that God is all powerful, good, and trustworthy. These past 2 months have been a lot of God showing me how tightly I’ve been trying to hold on to old habits that just aren’t going to work anymore. That feeling of control I thought I had? It’s just an illusion.
So the experiment commences. Ok, God. Will you really provide for me if I let you show me a new pattern, a new way of doing things?
All I have to do is take a deep breath and take a chance. Except sometimes, this is easier said than done.
Sometimes there is a gap between understanding what God is asking of me, accepting it, and actually taking action. What’s more, that gap is usually filled with tension and wrestling with God because I will not want to change yet I know that God is asking me to do so and trust Him.
Will I really get something out of this event? I’d be more comfortable at home.
Will I really have enough energy if I stay out later than I’m used to?Will I really be able to impart valuable advice or insights in my imperfect French?
However, when I finally take the chance, the fun part starts immediately! My heart is racing, waiting with anticipation to see how God will provide. And when He does, I finally breathe a sigh of relief and praise!
And that’s where the phrase “joyful surrender” comes in. It doesn’t mean that I will necessarily surrender with a smile my face, but that I surrender little by little, trusting that joy will follow when I let myself fall into the loving arms of my Heavenly Father and let Him bring me where He wants me to go. May you, too, be encouraged by the truth that joy comes when we live freely, letting ourselves be guided by what is pleasing to God, and not by holding on too tightly to our own comforts. Our God is so, so good!
Prayer Retreat
This month I attended my first prayer retreat. As you can see, it was held in this fairytale-esque chateau only 1 hour outside of Paris. The weather was absolutely gorgeous so we played games and ate all of our meals outside.
It was for this retreat that I was assigned my first task—gather a small team of students to organize the prayer room. Three passionate, creative students came up with several activities including:
- Writing post-it notes of thankfulness
- Adding to a giant “prayer poem”
- Choosing Bible verses from baskets organized by topic such as friendship, hope, and suffering
- Reading about and praying for persecuted Christians around the world
The weekend was a wonderful time to get to know the students better and hear their thoughts about prayer. Some shared how they are grateful for the gift of prayer because it brings them closer to God, but also how they struggle to integrate it into their daily lives. Therefore, we started a little challenge for the following week—take a few minutes each day to pray according to a certain subject such as family, the GBU, the local church and the world. My prayer is we will all continue this rhythm!
Praises!
- Praise God for the retreat and the reminder of the gift and importance of prayer in our lives.
- The community I’m building at church
- The sunny weather and parks to visit
Prayer Requests
- For students to manage their stress and find peace and trust in God during exam time and when planning for the future.
- I’ll be starting a one-on-one Bible study with a student in the next 2 weeks. Pray for wisdom as I prepare the discussion according to her situation.
- For energy and focus in my language study.
- Students and I will be attending an intensive Bible study camp next month. Pray for my colleagues to plan wisely. Pray for the attendees to prepare well by reading the book of Judges, and to come with open hearts to hear and learn from God.
Merci! This ministry truly would not be possible without your faithful prayers and support. I’m praying for you, too—please don’t hesitate to reach out with specific requests or just to say hi!
With love and gratitude,
Kelsey
Kelsey WEIDMANN
2 Allée André Mantois
92500 Rueil-Malmaison
FRANCE
email: kelsey.weidmann at intervarsity.org
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