Let it Go

…….9 “Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she named him Moses..."

Exodus 2:9-10 (NASB)

Have you ever had something happen that made you believe you were at a crossroads, a turning point? A time when what you decided to do next would change your life?

I had such an experience on February 7, 2010, during a communion service I was praying and thanking Jesus for my salvation when Jesus quietly said to me, “Deborah, give me Hands on Ministry”. In my vision, I saw Jesus standing in front of me with His arms opened. I saw myself holding Hands on Ministry like a mom would a newborn baby, holding that baby close and gently, but nevertheless holding it securely. He asked me to lay Hands on Ministry in His arms, I hesitated because I thought it was already His ministry. I had given my energy, strength, talent, time, and finances to Hands on Ministry and now the Lord wanted it back? Why would the Lord want this ministry when He so clearly had given it to me? I knew the ministry would be safe with Jesus, but I was not sure I was ready to let it go. How could I give back to the Lord what had been my joy, my dream, and my ambition? Why was it so hard for me to let go? I realized at that moment I was trying to control the outcome of the ministry with my own influence and energy instead of relying on God. I realized that I did not totally trust the Lord and was relying on my own ability to make this a successful ministry. I thought about how I worried over every detail. How I was not trusting that it was God who drew the people into the study groups not me. I had come to the crossroads that would determine if I were the “controller” of this ministry or if I could trust Jesus to direct it. The time had come to let “MY” ministry go. As I released Hands on Ministry into the arms of Jesus, I knew that He was teaching me to trust Him in this step of faith. It is an act of Worship to release what we hold dear into the arms of the Maker of all things. It is acknowledging His ownership of who we are and what we have been given. I can then come before Him with empty hands, and He fills those hands to overflowing with His blessings. We know in the story of Moses; God had a plan for his life that was far bigger than anything his mother could have imagined. If she had refused to “give her son to Pharaoh’s daughter” that God’s plan would never have happened through Moses. The life of Moses reminds me of how God works in our lives. He gives us a gift to nurture and grow and for His purposes He asks us to give that gift back to Him. As I yielded Hands on Ministry to Jesus, I knew I no longer needed to control or even be responsible for it. The ministry was the Lord’s, and He would direct, lead, and develop this Ministry in the direction He saw fit. I now have a different outlook in my own position in this ministry. I am learning to rest in the peace of God as He leads me and guides my next steps. I am learning that my position in Christ is to be obedient to what He is asking me to do in that moment. I do not know what God has planned for this ministry in the long term, but I do know I am excited to be a part of what God has planned. He is the One who will direct this Ministry for His purposes and for His Glory and my job will be to wait, listen, learn, and obey as He leads me.