“Let go and let God . . .” A common phrase, but what does it mean? Generally, it means you should trust God and stop trying to fix things yourself. Is it biblical?
If you interpret the phrase to mean simply that you shouldn’t worry, it’s definitely biblical. Scriptures offer many encouragements to trust the Lord and stop worrying. Proverbs 3:5 instructs to, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart.” Psalm 37 encourages you to trust in the LORD, delight yourself in the LORD, commit your way to him, and stop worrying.
A Biblical approach to struggles, however, recognizes that you also have responsibility. 1 Peter 5:7 reads, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you,” but the passage doesn’t end there. Peter continues, “Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith.” A Biblical interpretation of “let go and let God” must not include a “letting go” of your awareness of the enemy, a “letting go” of your effort to resist the enemy, or a “letting go” of your faith. In fact, Peter encourages the Christian to be “firm in your faith.” You won’t become firm in faith unless you’re learning about that faith, treasuring every occasion to study it, growing in it, and practicing it. You don’t defeat the enemy by “letting go” of responsibilities or opportunities for spiritual growth and learning which God has placed in your life, or by assuming you are strong enough on your own.
Peter compares the devil to a lion. Remember Daniel; God preserved him from lions. Was it because Daniel “let go” of everything? No. He was thrown to the lions because he wouldn’t let go of praying and worshiping his God. He didn’t let go of his faith and responsibilities. All Daniel let go of was the outcome of his actions. Daniel wrote, “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him”(Daniel 6:22).
Next time you hear, “Let go and let God,” take it as a reminder to trust God; but balance it with the encouragement from God’s Word to be firm in your faith and on the alert for the enemy. Imagine standing next to a lion’s cage at the city zoo and hearing it roar. Recognize that your enemy is that real and powerful and wants to devour you. Build your faith, learn about your God, live a life of obedience to your God; then let go of your worries and trust God to help you through the consequences of that faith.