Luke 18:18-30 - Placed in God's Hands

In Luke 18, the rich ruler walks away sad because he cannot let go. Jesus does not question his goodness - only what he is holding onto. For a long time, I read this passage as a warning. Recently, I have begun to hear it as an invitation.

Not long ago, I had to place something very important to me into God’s hands. I had prayed about it, worried about it, tried to solve it myself. Letting go did not feel brave - it felt uncertain. But there came a point where holding tighter was no longer faith; it was fear.

The ruler could not imagine life without what made him secure. I recognise that instinct. We all cling to what feels stable.

And yet Easter reminds us that surrender is not the end of the story. The cross looked like silence. It looked unanswered. But God was already at work.

What I placed in God’s hands has been met with more than I asked for - with care, with provision, with an answer that went beyond what I could see at the time.

Perhaps when Jesus invites us to let go, it is not to diminish us, but to show us that what is impossible for us is never impossible for God.

And for that quiet faithfulness, I am deeply grateful.