Letting go of the reins

If I called it trust, you'd be much more interested in participating. (at least I am fairly sure of that).  Trust is one of those words that falls into the category of 'positive'.  It's a good thing.  It must be nurtured, can be broken, is hard to recapture, is critical to relationships.

'Letting go of the reins' just plain sounds dangerous.  Giving up control, being unable to steer or direct, allowing the power to carry us forward where it will.  'Letting go' looks suspiciously like being in the driver's seat of a car that is sliding on ice.  Any illusion you have of control is quickly erased.

In his Large Catechism, Martin Luther teaches about the first commandment "I am the Lord your God.  You shall have no other gods before me."  Luther teaches that this commandment is about trust, specifically  "that in which you put your trust, is your god."

For most of us, we put our trust in our bank accounts first.  Then in medical tests.  Then in family loyalty.  We trust that these things will provide for us, get us out of difficult situations and come to our aid in times of trouble.

When things get really desperate, we begin to look to God - the God, the one who created, who sent us a beloved Savior, who calls us into relationship with the divine.  But first, we trust all that other stuff.

'Letting go of the reins' is terrifying.  It means that no matter what is before you, you trust that God has you firmly in God's hand, and in the end, will be your provider, protector, and savior.  Most of us want God to prove that 'everything will turn out OK' before we will leap to trusting.

The problem, of course, is if you are seeking a guarantee first, it isn't really trust.

The dialogue between Jesus and the devil during that temptation scene went like this.  Devil, "Go ahead.  Jump. God will catch you."  Jesus, "Don't tempt / test the Lord your God."

Most of us find it very, very, very difficult to trust when the train is bearing down on us, the car is skidding wildly, our children are deathly ill, our savings has turned to dust.  It is a hard thing to do.

But when you are in a relationship, when you are working on trusting, when you lean into the other and find God there, when you study God's record of being God to the people.......the trust builds and builds.

All of which will come in handy when your time comes.  You will know by then that trusting in God is the only way forward.