14 Bible Verses About Letting God Take Control

Morning’s first rays of light slip through the curtain panels like beacons of hope.  “Lord, help me to let go of control and surrender my life to you today,” I pray.  I’ve been on a journey of giving control to God, and every day is an invitation to begin again.  Today, we’ll explore 14 Bible verses about letting God take control.

Then, we’ll talk about eight practical ways to relinquish our desire for control to God.

Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you give God control in more areas of your life.

Let’s begin by turning to the Word.

Bible Verses About Letting God Take Control

Here are God’s words about surrendering to him.

14 Bible Verses About Letting God Take Control

1. Mark 14:35-36 ESV

And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Jesus gave us the ultimate example of how to surrender our desire for control.

Before he was crucified, he asked God to remove the cup from him.  If there was another way to accomplish the plan, Jesus wanted the other way.

At the end of his prayer, he prayed, “Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

This is a powerful prayer of surrender for us all.  We can ask God to grant our desires.  Yet the ultimate prayer of surrender is, “Not my will, but yours, Lord.”

2. 1 Peter 5:7

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 

We surrender control to God by casting our anxieties and fears on him.

God wants to care for us and help us navigate our small, everyday worries as well as our moments of crisis.

3. Job 12:10

In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.

God holds the entire universe in his hand.  Nothing is too hard for him, and we can trust him.  Rest in this when you’re having trouble relinquishing your desire for control.

God is already in control.  The sooner we learn to lean into this, the greater peace we will discover.

We are in control of our actions and responses to others, but most of our circumstances are beyond our control.

4. Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

God’s timing is always perfect.  His ways are not our ways, but he will never abandon his children.  He also promises to finish what he starts (see Phil. 4:6).

Ask God to give you courage as you surrender control to him.

In the meantime, he will show you how to be strong and keep working while you wait.

5. Ecclesiastes 3:1

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

As we surrender to God, we can trust that when we seek God with our whole hearts, aiming to walk in his ways, he will deliver us at the right time.

6. 2 Peter 3:8

7. Lamentations 3:25-26

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

When we faithfully seek God, he rewards us with blessings.  God is good to those who respond to his pursuit and seek his face.

8. Luke 18:27

But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Never forget that what feels impossible to us is possible with God.  No situation is too far beyond his ability to intervene.  No dream is too great.  We cannot make requests that are beyond his capability.

Our role is to align our hearts with his heart.  The more we seek him, the more our desires also begin to align with his desires.  When this happens, God moves mountains because our prayers align with his will for us.

9. Matthew 6:25

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

This verse reminds us that God cares for us.  He wants to meet our needs.  Instead of worrying about his provision, he invites us to lift our eyes to him and wait for him to provide for us.

10. Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

We can surrender control to God because he is working even when we cannot see his hand at work.

He is inviting you to new levels of faith.  Will you trust that he is working in unseen places?  If so, your faith will grow.  God will also help you rise above your greatest worries.

11. Psalm 121:1-2

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 

Instead of gazing at your worries, fix your eyes on Jesus.  Tell him about your worries and ask him to help you surrender these cares into his hands.  He promises to lift your burdens for you.

You might need to surrender these burdens dozens, or even hundreds of times.  That’s okay.  Every time you feel worries arise within you, surrender them to Jesus again.

12. James 4:10

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Surrendering to God is humbling.

We admit that we cannot hold our lives together and submit to God’s authority.

But there is a promise for those who surrender in humility: When we surrender to God, he will eventually exalt us.

13. Luke 9:23-24

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

Jesus calls his followers to deny their desires and follow him.

This is the ultimate act of surrender: We put God’s will in front of our will.

14. Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

As followers of Christ, we have crucified our old, sinful selves.  We commit to letting Jesus lead us and follow him by faith.

~~~

Let’s now apply these Bible verses about letting God take control to our lives.

Applications of These Bible Verses About Letting God Take Control

My journey toward surrender began a few months ago when a friend came to visit and asked hard questions.

She wanted to know how I was doing in my walk with God and where I felt stuck and discouraged in life.

I told her that I sensed God calling me to stop clinging to control.  I also noted that giving control to God is always easier said than done.

Giving Control to God

“A word is coming to mind,” she offered. “Release.”

The word resonated immediately.

If I could release my desire to control my future, my children, my hopes, and my career, I might move into a new realm of trusting God.

There might be an entirely new kind of freedom ahead.

Dear friend, I don’t know what you might need to release today, but the following eight ways of giving control to God are helping me surrender to him.  Perhaps these insights will help you let go, too.

8 Insights on Giving Control to God

1. Giving control to God begins with learning to embrace interruptions.

Do you struggle when your agenda is interrupted?

Do you get upset when plans fall apart, or the needs of someone close to you change the flow of your day?

Every time you feel frustrated over an interruption, use your feelings of frustration as a prompt to practice releasing control to the One who actually orchestrates your schedule.

Every time you feel frustrated over an interruption, use your feelings of frustration as a prompt to practice releasing control to the One who actually orchestrates your schedule. #surrender Share on X

We replace our grip on control over our schedules as we receive this truth: In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9

2. We give control to God by trusting him with our futures.

There’s nothing wrong with making plans.  Meanwhile, God wants us to follow him more than we follow our rigid five-year plans.  I’ve been known to become so set on completing my plans that I miss God’s divine direction.

I ask this gently today: Are you following God, or are you following your plans?

We replace our sense of control over the future with this truth: Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

3. We release control to God by surrendering our most precious loved ones into his trustworthy hands.

I like to believe I have entrusted God with the lives of my children, but when one of them faces a life-threatening diagnosis, when a decision looks like it’s about to derail one of their lives, or when my best efforts fail to help produce change in one of my children, I have to learn to release control all over again.

The truth about God’s plans for my children can be found here: The LORD will vindicate me; your love, LORD, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands. Psalm 138:8.  These words are true for your loved ones, too.

The Lord will not abandon his children.  Keep praying, trusting, guiding, and releasing your loved ones into his hands.

4. Giving control to God includes releasing shame.

Shame creeps into our lives as a lingering sense that we can never be good enough.

Shame mocks us for past decisions and tells us we are failing in our present callings.

Part of giving control to God includes releasing shame into his hands as we find our identities as his children.  Meanwhile, we stand on this truth: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus . . . Romans 8:1

5. Giving control to God includes releasing bitterness and unforgiveness.

Are you angry with someone who offended you weeks, months, or years ago?

Sadly, when we hold onto unforgiveness, bitterness grows.  Bitterness is a poison to the soul and affects the entire body, mind, and spirit.

If you are struggling to forgive someone in your life today or dealing with bitterness, take steps to find freedom and healing.  Ask God to help you release bitterness and unforgiveness to him.  In return, he wants to fill you with peace.

Stand on this truth:  See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15

6. We release control to God when we follow him into discomfort.

We live in a culture where comfort is idolized.

Do you put your comfort above the call to go and make disciples?

Do you hesitate to follow God into places that feel uncomfortable to you?

Sit with the Lord and dwell on these questions for a while.  Keep this truth in mind: Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

7. Giving control to God includes releasing expectations for others into his hands.

Are you frustrated with someone close to you?

Are you upset because your husband, roommate, best friend, boss, or mother is not living up to your expectations?

Let go of control by recognizing that Jesus is big enough to touch this person’s heart in his timing.

Stand on this truth while you wait, pray, and release: Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

8. We can release control by giving up our conditions for following God.

Without realizing it, some of us have put conditions on following God.

We commit to following him only to certain geographic regions, jobs, and callings.

Pause to ask God if there are any areas in which he is calling you to release your desire for control over where you will or will not follow him.

Stand on this truth: If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26

~~~

I don’t know what you need to release today, but will you walk in the promise that letting go can be the first step to the greatest kind of abundant life?

If these Bible verses about letting God take control (and applications) blessed you, I invite you to explore our family devotional books and library of free devotionals and eBooks below.  May you continue to surrender to the Lord more and more.

Calling All Parents and Grandparents!

As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God.  Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision.  They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love.  You can find all three books here or read more below.

Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!

God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom.  Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world.  I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven!  You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord.  Find this life-changing devotional book here.

Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter

Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion.  I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven.  Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.

Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20.  It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing.  This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start.  Bekah and I will help you right here.

Find Our Family Devotionals Here

Find all three books right here.  They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial!  These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them.  Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.

Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing

God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone.  Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life.  Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here.  (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!

A Free Devotional Book to Help You With Giving Control to God:

If these Bible verses about letting God take control were encouraging, I have a gift for you.  Let God Set You Free will help you find victory over fear, worry, and doubt by leading you on a 14-day journey into God’s Truth.  For a limited time, get this online devotional for free right here with promo code FREE. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free.  I invite you to explore the collection right here!