I was late to church today because I got a word from God

“God, I just want to hear from you. I need your peace…I want to hear your voice.

I want to let go of trying to be in control,”

I prayed in my head, as I sat with my coffee on the step.

It’s a humid overcast morning here in Oceanside, and I woke up just feeling off.

Anyone else get like that after a big event or something you were really looking forward to?

I woke up and took my coffee to the beach, knowing that would help me in some way. Praying as I walked, “Lord just help me let go. Help me hear something from you. I’m anxious about so many things and trying to figure them all out. I can’t do all this on my own.”

After a few quiet moments sitting with God, I couldn’t get the lyrics from a song out of my head.

“So I let go, even though it isn’t easy.

So I let go, I can’t do this on my own.”

Maybe that was the word from God I was so desperately seeking.

I got back to my apartment and looked up the worship song — and of course, literally within the same second, I noticed a spec on my carpet that needed to be vacuumed up. So because I’m Elsa Ketchum, instead of enjoying a quiet moment with God, I jumped up to grab my vacuum.

“I’ll be quick” I said to myself, as I proceeded to vacuum my entire apartment.

A few minutes into vacuuming, I realized the vacuum canister that collects the dirt was empty….empty.

Nothing was in the canister.

All that cleaning was for nothing!!

“Oh my gosh - the canister wasn't locked in.”

Tears began to fill my eyes.

I turned the vacuum off and just stood in the middle of my bedroom.

“Lord, you’re literally telling me to let go in every way possible…. even with trying to clean right now.”

It wasn’t until I properly clicked the vacuum back together that it started to work well. “And this is exactly what I do in my life,” I said to God. “I try to do it all on my own — and I’m just a weak vacuum, scrambling around trying to be in control, when really, I’m not being effective at all! I’m not getting any dirt up!”

Then the vacuum started buzzing — low battery.

I laughed again. “How do you charge a vacuum? You have to plug it in….to the source.”

“Huh” I thought. “Much like us, we have to be connected to you God to be able to do anything. Everything else is just a waste of time and effort.”

Who knew that vacuuming the house this morning would be such a bigger lesson from God.

Funny how I got the word I needed, in more ways than one.

So the takeaway —

What is it that you can’t release control of?

What’s making you anxious and burdened this morning?

I challenge you to release that control and ask God to take it over…because I can promise you, he’s in control.

And he’s way better at cleaning up our messes and fixing stuff than we are.

The house will be vacuumed MUCH better if we let him be in control…and what an analogy for life that is.

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”

Don’t forget to spend time with God today. He loves you and he will help fix and clean up whatever mess that is in your life right now.

He is the answer for all of the worry and anxiety.

He is in control.

I was late to church today because I got a word from God.

And thank you, God!!

“God is in a whisper — a still, quiet voice.”

1 Kings 19:12

Written June 8, 2025

Edited June 28, 2025