You Don’t Control the Universe — But God Does

Faith. Trust. Surrender. God’s Timing. Peace.

These five words could change your entire life—if you actually live them.

Every believer talks about trusting God, but few of us actually let go. We plan. We schedule. We stress. We pray—but still grip the steering wheel so tightly that our knuckles turn white. We say, “God, I trust You,” but we keep one hand on the remote control of our own lives, trying to fast-forward through pain, pause the hard moments, or rewind to when things made sense.

And that’s where this story begins.
With something as small—and surprisingly symbolic—as a “universal remote.”

Chapter 1 — When Control Fails

I remember standing in my living room one night, holding that remote. It said “universal” right across the top, and I thought that was poetic. Maybe it could finally make my life easier—control everything from one place.

But that day, as life felt heavier than usual, I looked down at that little device and thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice if it actually controlled the universe?”

I pointed it toward the chaos—my worries, my unanswered prayers, my disappointments—and clicked every button I could.
Mute. Pause. Power. Rewind.

Nothing.

The universe didn’t flinch. My circumstances didn’t change. My problems didn’t disappear.

And in that moment of quiet humor mixed with frustration, God whispered something into my heart:

“You were never meant to control the universe. You were meant to trust the One who does.”

That was the day I learned a profound truth—one that’s echoed in every story of faith since the beginning of time: control is the greatest illusion of all.

We try so hard to manage what was never ours to manage. We think if we just do everything right, we can keep life in order. But real peace isn’t found in control—it’s found in surrender.

Proverbs 19:21 says,

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

You can plan your next ten years down to the last detail, but if it doesn’t align with God’s purpose, He will lovingly redirect you. Because His purpose will always prevail—and it’s always for your good, even when it doesn’t feel that way.

Chapter 2 — When God Holds the Remote

If I could sum up life in one metaphor, it’s this: God holds the remote, not you.

He decides when to hit pause, when to rewind, and when to press play. He knows when the volume needs to come down so you can hear His voice again. He knows when to mute the world and when to bring the music back.

The older I get, the more I realize how gracious that truth really is. Because if I had full control, I’d mess everything up within a week.

We think we know what we want—what job, what person, what timing—but God sees the entire timeline. We see a moment; He sees eternity.

That’s why He sometimes says “not yet” when you’re begging for “now.”
That’s why He closes doors that you’re trying to pry open.
That’s why He silences situations you’re desperate to understand.

Because He’s writing something better than you could ever script.

Romans 8:28 reminds us:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.”

It doesn’t say some things—it says all things.

Even the heartbreaks.
Even the seasons that make no sense.
Even the tears you cried when nobody saw.

God is using it all.

I once heard someone say, “Faith is trusting God’s character when you can’t trace His hand.”

That stuck with me.

When God hits pause, He’s not ignoring you—He’s preparing you. When He mutes the world, it’s not punishment—it’s protection. And when He finally hits play, it’s because you’re ready for the next scene.

If we could see what God sees, we’d stop fighting for control and start falling to our knees in gratitude.

Chapter 3 — The Art of Surrender

Here’s the thing: surrender isn’t defeat.
It’s victory in disguise.

When you surrender, you’re not giving up—you’re giving in to God’s will. You’re saying, “I trust that You know the way better than I do.”

Jesus modeled surrender perfectly in Gethsemane when He prayed, “Not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Those words changed eternity.

Because surrender is where Heaven and Earth meet. It’s where peace replaces panic and faith replaces fear. It’s where you realize that every “delay” is divine timing, every “no” is loving redirection, and every “silence” is God building strength in your stillness.

You might be praying for an open door, but maybe God is building a foundation first. You might be begging Him to move faster, but maybe He’s waiting for you to slow down and listen.

When you stop grasping for control, you start seeing evidence of His fingerprints in everything.

• The “chance” encounter that becomes a breakthrough.
• The job you didn’t get that leads to something better.
• The heartbreak that strengthens your faith.

God’s hand is always there—even when you can’t see it.

And here’s the truth we often overlook: you can’t hold both the remote and the cross.

You can’t surrender to Jesus and still demand control. One of them has to go.

Chapter 4 — Reframing the Pause

Have you ever felt stuck? Like life is on pause and nothing is moving forward?

That feeling can be maddening. You pray, you work, you do all the right things, and yet, it’s like God pressed pause on your story.

But pauses aren’t punishments—they’re preparation.

Think about a film director. Before the next scene starts, he calls “Cut!” Not because the story is over, but because something needs to be reset, adjusted, or improved before filming continues.

That’s exactly what God does with our lives.

When He presses pause, He’s not finished. He’s perfecting.

He’s strengthening your spirit.
He’s realigning your priorities.
He’s teaching you to depend on His provision instead of your plans.

Isaiah 40:31 says,

“But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles.”

The waiting is where renewal happens. The pause is where the preparation takes place.

If you feel stuck right now, remember—He’s not holding you back, He’s setting you up.

Chapter 5 — When Faith Rewrites the Story

I want to take you deeper into the heart of this truth.

Faith isn’t a passive belief—it’s active trust. It’s what happens when you surrender your script and let God write the next line.

Maybe you’re in a season of confusion. Maybe you’ve been pressing “fast-forward,” trying to escape the hard parts. But what if those hard parts are the very scenes that will make your story powerful?

You can’t have a testimony without a test.
You can’t have redemption without a fall.
You can’t have faith without surrender.

Your struggles aren’t proof that God has abandoned you—they’re proof that He’s working on something greater.

When life feels chaotic, remember this: chaos is often the prelude to creation.

Before God said, “Let there be light,” the Bible says the earth was “formless and void.” (Genesis 1:2) In other words, there was nothing but chaos. Yet from that chaos, God created beauty.

He’s still doing the same thing today—taking the formless places in your life and shaping them into something full of purpose.

You may not control the universe, but you can absolutely trust the One who spoke it into existence.

Chapter 6 — The Freedom of Letting Go

Letting go feels scary—until you realize how freeing it truly is.

When you finally stop trying to control every outcome, you discover peace that doesn’t depend on circumstances. That’s the kind of peace Jesus talked about in John 14:27 when He said,

“My peace I give you; not as the world gives.”

The world’s version of peace is temporary. It depends on everything going your way. God’s peace is eternal—it stays when the storms hit, when the bills stack up, when the prayers seem unanswered.

You don’t have to understand God to trust Him.
You just have to remember His track record.

He’s never failed a single promise.
He’s never left a single prayer unheard.
He’s never stopped holding the remote to your life.

You can rest in that truth.

So today, if you’re struggling, whisper this prayer:

“God, I’m done trying to control everything. I’m handing You the remote. Write my story the way You see fit, even if I don’t understand the plot yet.”

That’s the moment peace begins.

Chapter 7 — The Day I Finally Let Go

It’s been years since that moment with the universal remote, but I think about it often. Because it wasn’t just a funny realization—it was a revelation.

That little remote became a mirror, showing me how often I tried to run things that were never mine to control. And every time I let go—every single time—I saw God move in ways I couldn’t have scripted if I tried.

He opened doors I didn’t even know existed.
He brought people into my life who changed my path.
He healed parts of me that I thought would never mend.

All because I stopped pressing buttons and started pressing into Him.

And here’s what I’ve learned through it all:
You don’t lose control when you surrender to God. You gain clarity.

You gain peace.
You gain direction.
You gain the kind of joy that doesn’t depend on how your story looks—because you trust the Author who’s writing it.

So when your plans fail, when your timing doesn’t work out, when your life feels paused—remember, it’s not the end.

It’s just God taking the pen back.

Chapter 8 — Let God Direct the Universe

Everything in life comes down to this: who holds the remote?

If you hold it, life is chaos.
If God holds it, life has purpose.

And the best part? You don’t have to figure everything out. You just have to trust Him.

That’s the heart of faith—it’s not about control; it’s about confidence in God’s goodness. It’s not about knowing the plan; it’s about knowing the Planner.

If you’re still trying to press pause or rewind your life, stop.
Put the remote down.
Look up instead.

God’s timing is perfect. His plan is good. And His hands are steady.

You were never meant to control the universe—you were meant to worship the One who does.

Watch the Full Message

If this spoke to your heart, you can watch the full video message titled “You Don’t Control the Universe — But God Does” right here:
➡️ Watch the full faith-based motivational talk on YouTube.

It’s a powerful reminder that letting go doesn’t mean losing control—it means finding peace.

Closing Prayer

Father,
Today I release my illusion of control.
I surrender my fears, my deadlines, and my distractions.
You are the One who directs the universe, and I trust You with every part of my story.
Teach me to rest in Your timing, to listen when You say pause, and to move when You say play.
Even when I don’t understand the plan, I will trust the Planner.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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