Week 1: Controlling
Weekly Reading:
Genesis 1 - 25
Opening Prayer
Father God
A new year, a new time with You in growth. I look forward to Your counsel and Your guidance in the new year as I continue to keep my eyes on You. The swirl of the world around me all melts away when my eyes are on You and Your word. Praise You, Father, for Your many blessings and for bringing me Your truth.
Amen
Study
From the beginning, women seem to desire control. We see it as early as in the garden in Genesis 3:1-7, Eve was living her best life before the serpent appeared. She and Adam are partners, working together for a life full of beauty and splendor in the garden ruling over the animals together. They made a great team, united as one (Genesis 2:24). They felt no shame in who they were, and they were happy and supportive.
But the serpent of the garden saw this and wanted a disruption. The serpent went to Eve to convince her to disobey God; he did not choose Adam. The serpent plays to Eve's desire for power, for control. Again, he did not choose Adam for this. Eve was the one who took the fruit, desiring knowledge and control. Eve was the one who convinced her husband to take the fruit. Eve was the one who first demonstrated control and desire for control from what is evidenced to us in the Bible.
When God came into the garden, all acceptance of responsibility went out the window as the finger-pointing started. Adam pointed at Eve, Eve pointed at the serpent, and the serpent had no hands to point.
God then punished each party, but Eve's punishment was interesting. Genesis 3:16 states that women will have pain in pregnancy and birth, but the second half is even more interesting: "You will desire to control your husband and he will rule over you" (NLT) or "your desire shall be for your husband and he will rule over you" (NKJV). The Orthodox Jewish Bible uses teshukah, which means longing and desire. Depending on the translation, we see birth pains and desire on the part of the woman; the desire to control her husband is always present.
The desire for control is a dominant theme for women in Genesis. We see the woman's desire to control situations or their husbands repeatedly. In Genesis 16, we see Sarai's desire to control her baron status by telling her husband to sleep with her maid Hagar to carry on Abram's line. Sarai assumes God's will, does not allow God to do the work he promised, and she intercedes control over Abram. After Sarai exerts control, she regrets her decision and blames Abram (Genesis 16:5).
Sarah's, formerly Sarai, story of control does not end there; we see her think she is in control once again when Abraham, formally Abram, welcomes a set of travelers into his tents. Sarah decides to hang back and listen to a conversation between her husband and the travelers. When one mentioned she would have a son in a year, Sarah laughed at the prophecy, at God. Once again, she thinks she is in control.
We should know by now the control is both elusive and an allusion. We are not in control, neither women nor men. God is in control, and he illustrates it in his word. We want God to be in control. If I had the choice to be given a test where I had a study guide with all the answers prior or a test where I had no knowledge, I would always pick the study guide because I would have knowledge of the outcome. However, we do not have a study guide on how our life will turn out, nor the study guides on how to navigate those around us. But God wrote it all, He is the creator, He knows the end result, so wouldn't it be wiser to trust the one who knows all?
Control is an extension of fear. We fear that xyz will happen at work, so we try to control and manipulate the situation so that xyz does not occur. In that control, we may be missing opportunities God laid the groundwork for or delayed those opportunities. We try to control our husbands, like what he wears, for fear that we/he will be snickered at for wearing those high socks with sneakers and shorts. FEAR.
God says:
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" Joshua 1:9
Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
God is in control.
God is love.
God loves us despite our shortcomings; as such, we can release fear, release control, and let God continue to create beauty and love in our lives.
Closing Prayer
Father God,
Thank you for a new year bursting with promise and hope. We know that you are all-knowing and always working. You are working in our lives even when trying to control our environment, our families, our work. You are in control even when we are fighting against you. Father God, I let go of control or trying to control this year, and I turn it all over to you. I am tired of constantly trying to be everything to everyone; I only need to be your Child. Father, I release it to you.
Amen
Homework
Where do you struggle most with control?
Write it down, and then journal how you will release it and turn it over to God.
