Our amazing God is the creator and sustainer of the universe and all that is in it (see the Rejoice passage above)! And we, the people he has called to himself, are his beloved children! This verse speaks of how he is molding and shaping us. He is transforming us from ordinary clay into beautiful vessels fit for his use and glory.

And he does this through discipline and training, inward exercises, and outward divine care and direction. He makes everything in our lives and circumstances subservient to the one great purpose of causing us to grow in grace, and of conforming us, day by day, hour by hour, to the image of Jesus. Sometimes he uses joyful things! Other times, things that are painful, confusing, or disappointing. But nothing in our lives is outside of God’s control and everything is constantly and continuously being used by him to lovingly call us to himself and teach us to rest in his hand. (Psalm 139:16) He made us and he understands each of us perfectly! He knows how to manage us to achieve his ends.

Can you trust him with all that you are? Can you surrender yourself, your business, your children, your health, reputation, ministry and wealth for him to hold? He holds it all anyway! It’s just a matter of you taking them off your shoulders and laying them at Jesus’ feet. 

Think about how happy you are to crawl into your cozy bed at night to go to sleep. You are perfectly content knowing that the bed will hold you and you can relax every muscle in your body. But what if the bed was unstable? What if you crawled in, unsure if it would hold you. You would move about slowly and cautiously, tensed up for whatever might happen, sleeping restlessly, always fearful that it was about to cave in beneath you. God wants you to trust him so much that you can walk in assurance and rest, for the God of the universe lovingly and perfectly holds you, his child.