Lose Control - Women's Bible Study Participant Workbook
Learn to live in total dependence on God through a study of 1 Samuel.Have you ever thought you had life under control—until you didn’t? Perhaps...
Mary Shannon shares answers to questions about, and from, the Lose Control Bible Study
Q. How does studying the Book of 1 Samuel help women discover how they can lose control and live in dependence on God?
A. I believe women will recognize that our attempts to control are futile. The more the nation or people of Israel attempted to control individuals, situations, and outcomes, the more calamity they experienced. The only person we can truly control is ourselves. Even that seems impossible at times! Victory comes through surrender to God’s leadership. I would love to tell you I am an expert in surrender, but the truth is I was forced to embrace it when the cup of my life spilled. Or to put it another way, the wheels came off. That’s when I was forced to depend on God.
Q. In what areas of your life do you feel out of control?
A. If we were face to face, I would ask you, “How much time do you have?” Right now, I don’t know many areas of my life that I have control of. I am grieving the loss of my son. My only daughter has moved away to start her own life. I am currently single and carrying all the pressures of life on my own shoulders. I am in ministry. I am a new author hoping my Bible study will encourage others in their walk with Jesus. In other words, “I am completely out of control.” But, honestly, isn’t that the best place to be? I am forced to be completely reliant on my Father. I have literally been in a storm for the last three years. I keep asking when the wind and waves are going to stop, but until they do, I am learning how, like Jesus, to lay down and rest in the midst of the storm.
Q. Have you ever experienced a disconnect between your circumstances and what you believe about God?
A. I am living in moments of disconnect right now. Grief over the loss of my son just five months ago threatens often to convince me that God is not good. I question His actions or His indifference. I often give Him motives and question His character.
When you watch someone you love suffer, you wonder, Where is the Good Shepherd? When you are swallowed up in darkness, you wonder, Where is the Light of the World? When you lose someone you love, you wonder, Where is the Resurrection and the Life? When we experience great loss, we often wonder where God is. Much like Mary, we proclaim, “If you had only been here.” We assume that if suffering is present, God must be absent. Yet, God promises to be close to the brokenhearted and to be our hope in suffering, Himself having overcome this world.
Q. Share a time when you were able to go outside and spend time meditating on God or scripture, breathing in deeply, and syncing your soul to the rhythms of creation. How did it help you feel close to God?
A. Mountain trails are usually a daily experience for me, but in this season of grief it has been a slow journey back. The wickedly hot temperatures of Phoenix Arizona have not helped. Yet, about a month ago a friend took me on the trails of Park City, Utah. The scenery was majestic. If I am being honest, I did not feel like praising God. At the top of the mountain, he handed me his earbuds and said, “Stop and take it all in, Mary Shannon.” I looked out at the beauty in front of me as the words of worship began: “You speak and there is healing. You speak and dead bones rise.” The song goes on to speak of God’s voice moving mountains and bringing us alive. The Spirit of God in me busted forth in praise. For a moment, there was release. There was joy. There was hope.
