Sitting in an Istanbul airport, watching as the departures screen turned line by line from green to red, I felt a growing sense of familiarity. Travel delays are unavoidable, and it seems the only way to handle the problems is to try to switch off and let go. Yet, as I counted down the 16 hours that needed to pass before I could board my flight into Iraq, I had a feeling that God wanted me to be alert. He wanted to draw my attention to a simple lesson, something that I need to be reminded of frequently: I am not in charge. None of this is about me. The battle is not mine; it is the Lord’s.
Sometimes it’s our travel plans that are ruined. Sometimes our financial goals or our blueprints for how our work should develop are tossed overboard. But with each obstacle, God would have us pause. He calls us to still our hearts, calm our hands and anxious eyes, and look to Him. This is His battle we’re fighting, not our own. Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, we can surrender all we have in the presence of our holy God.