James 4:7
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
This is much harder than James makes it sound. We humans don’t want to submit to anyone telling them what to do. But James makes no bones about anything in his short book, and this is no exception. In order to be Christian, we have to let go of our lives and trust that God is in control of it all.
Letting Go = Not Worrying, Raging, or Fighting, but Praying
But what does “letting go of our lives” mean? I think it encompasses all of the following and a lot more besides:
- Not being mad at yourself or others for being late
- Accepting your body’s small flaws
- Not confronting others who anger you, but praying for them
- Praying about the worry and guilt that torments you
- Not raging about how someone else slighted you
- Accepting a downgrade at work with grace
In each of these circumstances and countless others, God is still in control. Even in the bad times, God is there and God has you in His hands. Worrying, raging, and fruitlessly rumbling about in your life doesn’t do any good and indeed saps your energy.
Instead, being still and knowing that God is in control, letting God drive instead of trying to snatch the wheel away from Him, is submitting to His will. It’s about knowing that there is a purpose behind your temporary suffering, knowing that the horrible situation you’re in will be resolved in time (maybe not in the time you’d like it to be, but it will).
Letting God drive is not just about being passive, though–it’s about taking prayerful action when needed. If the situation at work is not resolving, for instance, and you’re concerned, pray about what to do–the calm and strength given to me through prayer is incomparable to anything else I’ve ever experienced. If you’re suffering pain, prayerfully considering and then asking about possible medical attention is key. But through all your prayerful action, there should be in the background a knowledge that whatever comes, God has the steering wheel and there is no need to worry.
Resisting the Devil by Living for God Rather than Self
Being willing to submit to God is part of being able to resist the Devil. When we are living for God’s glory rather than our own pleasures, we are suddenly accountable for every action. “Is what I’m about to do/tempted to do glorifying to God, or is this just for me?” It serves as a check for our behavior.
This is difficult, and it’s not an instant transformation. After four years of being in organized faith practice, I’m still dealing with guilt and worry over the anger and frustration I show on a daily basis–that isn’t glorifying to God. It may even make some people doubt my Christianity when I explode like that.
But I pray about it, really try to let go of the frustration instead of letting it pop out like a horrible jack-in-the-box of emotions. And the prayer, whether in the moment or afterward, has helped reduce the instances of explosion. Knowing God is still in control, no matter who has frustrated me or insulted me, is a comfort. Even though somebody else made the free-will decision to be a rear end to me, they’ll be accountable to God for that, just as I’ll be accountable for my anger.
Rely on God
He knows where He’s going, even if the road in some places is not paved yet, even if the car seems like it’s going to jostle completely apart, and even if the Devil runs alongside the car yelling and screaming at us. We just have to stop asking “Are we there yet are we there yet are we there yet?!”