A Greater Story

A 7-Day YouVersion by Sam Collier

Control. We do a lot to hold onto it, don’t we? Maybe, though, control is something God is asking us to give to him—because he has something much better in mind for us. In this week’s devotional we take a look at what it means to sacrifice for God and end up with more than we ever imagined.

Day One

The Only Way to Win

Scripture: Matthew 8:23–27

As a teenager, I wanted to grow up to be a Christian Usher. But as I tried to make it as a musician in my twenties, I faced one rejection after another.

Nothing was working for me. Was God even real? Was he here? Did he see me? Did he care?

“I’ve surrendered everything to you,” I told God. “I’ve tried to grow the gifts you’ve given me. I’ve worked my tail off, chasing the opportunities you’ve put in my path. And nothing—nothing!—has panned out. I’m broke. I’m still living with my parents. I’m completely lost. Theologically, none of this makes sense to me anymore. None of this works. Is this what you wanted for me?”

I was mad at God. I was mad at the church. I was mad at this thing called life.

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I was taken back to a scene in the Bible where Jesus’s disciples were lower than low. 

Take a minute to read Matthew 8:23–27. 

The disciples had witnessed Jesus perform back-to-back miracles that fulfilled prophecies from long before, and yet now, when they needed him most, they felt abandoned. With a word, Jesus reminded them that all was well. His silence didn’t equal his absence. He was still in complete control. 

During that time of confusion and disappointment in my life, I often cried out, “God, I feel like I’m losing! I need you to make sense of this now! Bring me to heaven to be with you, because life here on earth feels like death.”

It was as if I was in the boat screaming at Jesus, “Save me!” 

And God was saying, “Oh, ye of little faith.” 

Then one night, in a voice barely above a whisper, God spoke a statement that saved my life and rocked my world. 

God said, “Son, if you can lose, then you can also win.” 

I realized that control that God was after in me. God was stripping me of my agenda. He was at work. 

Take some time to think on the phrase, “If you can lose, then you can also win,” in light of your life right now. What does it mean to lose in order to win?