John 19:10-11
Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?  Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

Pilate thought he was the most powerful man in the room.  He was, after all, the ruler in this place, the judge of the people, the one passing sentence, condemning men to prison or to death.  But really in this situation, he was powerless.  He had nothing that was not given to him by the one truly in power.  He could do nothing to Jesus without God allowing it.  He could not stand against an all-powerful God.  He had no power over Jesus’ life, and he had no power to stop what God had set in motion.

We like to think that we are in control.  So many crave for power, to be above all, to get their way.  But God is in control, no matter what we may think.  God has power over all.  None can rise above His authority or His will.  None can thwart His plans.  Pilate was saying to Jesus, “Your life is in my hands,” but Jesus says, in essence, “My life is in my Father’s hands.”  It is the same for us.  Our lives are in God’s hands.  He is who we fear.  He is who we obey.  He is who we look to as the one who decides the course of our lives.  And He is at work within every situation we face.

For Jesus, surrendering to His Father meant that He ended up in Pilate’s court, eventually being crucified and put to death.  Sometimes we’re reluctant to give God control of our lives because we’re afraid where that might take us.  We’re afraid He’ll ask us to do something we don’t want to do or to go somewhere we don’t want to go.  Maybe we think that by retaining control for ourselves, we’ll be able to get our way in life.  But it doesn’t usually work out that way.

So who are we giving power to in our lives?  Is it ourselves or someone else?  Or are we willing to surrender totally and fully to God?  Are we willing to let Him have the authority and the power over our lives?  May we be willing to follow Jesus’ example of submission to the Father, wherever that may lead us.  When we bow to Him, we’ll be able to face anything that comes our way.  Let us live with an understanding of the power that God has and not try to take control ourselves and fight against His plan for us.