Give it Up; Let Go and Let God - written for youth

 

Life moves, sometimes too fast. And because of that, we usually think the answer is to hold on tighter. Hold on to plans, hold on to control, hold on to what we think should happen. It feels like if we don’t stay in control, everything will fall apart.

But the Bible keeps pointing in a different direction. It talks about something that feels backwards at first: letting go. Trusting God instead of trying to hold everything together ourselves. That idea can sound easy when you hear it, but it’s not always easy when life gets real. That’s why Scripture doesn’t just say it, it shows it through real people.

Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV): “Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…” He is talking to tired people. Not people who have it all together. People who are carrying too much. He doesn’t say, “Fix yourself first.” He says, “Come to me.” That already tells us something important. Rest doesn’t come from holding tighter. It comes from coming to Him and letting Him carry what we can’t.

Abraham shows this in a hard way. In Genesis 22, God asks him to do something almost impossible—offer up his son Isaac. This was the son he waited years for, the promise he thought would never come. So this was not small for Abraham.

But Abraham still obeys. He moves forward even when he doesn’t understand. And at the very last moment, God stops him and provides a ram instead. What we see here is simple but strong: Abraham lets go of what mattered most, and God shows that He was still in control the whole time.

Joseph’s life is different, but the same idea shows up. His brothers betray him. He gets sold as a slave. Then he ends up in prison for something he didn’t do. From the outside, it looks like everything is going wrong. Years pass like that. Not days, years. But later, Joseph says something important in Genesis 50:20 (KJV): “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good…” He doesn’t say the hurt wasn’t real. He doesn’t pretend it didn’t happen. But he sees something bigger now. God was working even when life didn’t make sense.

That’s another kind of letting go. Not just letting go of things, but letting go of bitterness and trusting that God is still writing the story.

Paul talks about this too. In Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV), he says he forgets what is behind and keeps moving forward. That doesn’t mean his past didn’t matter. It means his past doesn’t control where he’s going anymore.

Sometimes letting go is not about pain. It’s about not letting old things hold you back from what God is doing next.

There are also real people in history who lived this way:

Corrie ten Boom went through the Holocaust, one of the darkest times in history. She lost a lot. But she still chose forgiveness instead of holding on to hate.

John Newton used to be involved in the slave trade. Later, his life changed completely when he came to faith. He wrote “Amazing Grace,” which is really a song about someone who was given a new start when he didn’t deserve it.

Both of them show something simple: letting go is not just a Bible idea. It shows up in real life too.

The Bible also gives promises for people who trust God this way.

It says in Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV) that God gives peace that doesn’t always make sense. It doesn’t come from everything being perfect. It comes even when things aren’t.

In Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV), it says that if we trust God instead of leaning only on our own understanding, He will guide our path. That means we don’t have to figure everything out alone.

And in Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV), God says He has plans for good, not harm, and a future with hope.

Even the end of the Bible shows this same idea. In Revelation 21:4 (KJV), it says there will be a time when there is no more pain, no more tears, and no more death.

That tells us something important about God’s story: what we go through now is not the final chapter.

So letting go doesn’t mean life stops mattering. It means we stop trying to carry everything ourselves.

It means trusting that God is not just watching, but actually working—even when we can’t see it.

And sometimes, the hardest part is not letting go once… it’s learning to keep letting go every time life feels heavy again.

But the more we do, the more we start to see something surprising:

We were never meant to hold it all in the first place.

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Prayer:

Lord God,

I come to You just as I am. I don’t always have everything figured out, and sometimes I feel stressed, confused, or overwhelmed. Life can feel heavy, and I don’t always know what to do next.

Please help me to trust You more. When I want to control everything, remind me that You are already in control. When I feel anxious, give me peace in my heart. When I feel lost, show me the next step, even if it’s just one small one.

Teach me how to let go of the things I can’t carry. Help me not to hold on so tightly to fear, worry, or pressure. Instead, help me to hold on to You.

Give me strength for school, for friendships, for family, and for the things I don’t understand yet. Help me remember that I’m not alone, even when I feel like it.

Thank You for loving me even when I struggle. Thank You for not giving up on me.

I give You my day, my thoughts, and my future. Help me trust You with it all.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 ✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️
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© AMKCH 2026
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