Finding Peace When Controlling Everything Fails
Learning how to float through life isn't all bad.
Did you know the ark Noah built had no steering system, no way for him to navigate?
It was designed to float.
Noah knew he had no control over the vessel.
He couldn’t control
how long it would rain,
where the ark would go,
or when he could get off.
Have you ever been in a situation where all you could do was float?
You couldn’t control if or when the problem would get resolved, or how bad the circumstances would become.
Our nature isn’t to just relax and float; it’s to swim our way to safety as fast as possible.
Noah had no other choice but to trust in the Lord for everything.
After all, Genesis 7:16 tells us the Lord shut him in the ark.
He was living by faith.
We are called to live the same way.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
During these moments, we recognize our lack of power because God’s sovereignty encompasses everything, leading us to surrender.
We can stop fighting so hard just to tread water.
We can relax and float.
Sometimes we choose to float, sometimes we have no other options. Either way, our Heavenly Father handles things according to His plan, not ours.
We weren’t meant to
solve every problem,
carry every burden,
or worry about the future.
We aren’t that strong.
But we know the One who is.
Matthew 19:26b
“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Kate,
The image of the ark without a steering system is striking because it confronts our illusion of control. Noah’s faith was not proven by navigation, but by obedience and trust. Once the door was shut by the Lord, the work shifted from building to being carried. That is often the hardest transition for us to make.
Your question: 'Have you ever been in a situation where all you could do was float?', lands deeply. Many of us recognize those moments only in hindsight, when striving gave way to surrender. Floating is not passivity; it is consent. It is choosing trust when control is no longer available.
Scripture consistently reminds us that faith is not about seeing the outcome, but about trusting the One who holds it. To “walk by faith” often means releasing the need to steer and accepting that God’s sovereignty is not threatened by our stillness.
This reflection offers permission that many need: to stop exhausting themselves trying to manage what was never theirs to carry. We may not be strong enough to handle everything, but we are held by the One who is.
This is a profound word of rest for weary hearts.
Blessings,
Ze Selassie
Such great insight! 🙌🙌 Relax and float 😊