49: Handing Over the Keys
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME Dad handed me the keys to our 1964 green Ford Meteor station wagon to drive to a youth event. I looked at them in my hand and said, “The world will never be the same again!” That certainly came true for the car that night, because I put a dent in it.
There are times when I clutch the keys to my life tightly in my hand while God quietly says, “Bruce, hand me the keys.” I offer God all kinds of excuses: I’m a leader; I have fewer years ahead of me and need to maximize my time; You haven’t asked so-and-so to hand over anything; and many more.
I like the picture presented by Bruce Wilkinson in Secrets of the Vine where the Vinedresser is leaning against a trellis in the late afternoon sun and the look on His face conveys delight and expectation as He looks at “your branch” with pleasure, satisfaction, and joy.[1]
Jesus asks us to seek His face. That takes handing over the keys. It’s stepping into the Jordan like the priests were directed to do with Joshua. It wasn’t until they stepped into the river that God acted.
My fellow travelers, it doesn’t matter what season of life you’re in; the Vinedresser isn’t finished with you yet. Only He knows what the harvest ahead looks like.
I want that harvest, so I’m handing over the keys, though this is easier written than done.
Why don’t you write down this week what keys you are still holding on to, and then look up at the Vinedresser leaning against the trellis in the late afternoon sun and say, “Here, You take them.”
I did this once when I was struggling with a move. I finally said, “You do it,” and what God did was more than Denise and I could ever have imagined.
The Vinedresser is very patient; He won’t force us to release our keys to Him. Yet I wonder about His thoughts as He looks at me and quietly says, “Bruce, if you could only know what I have for you.”
Questions
- What keys are you hanging on to that you need to release and hand over to God?
- I make the statement that the Vinedresser is very patient and will not force us to release our keys to Him. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
- How does it make you feel to know that you can turn over the keys of your life to God?