2026 THEME — “SEEING LIFE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE” January – Prayer from God’s Perspective
The second service on “Prayer From God’s Perspective” will take us deeper by revealing why God chose prayer as the channel through which we receive everything He has prepared for us. Prayer is not about begging for blessings, but about alignment—shaping our desires, strengthening our faith, and positioning our hearts to steward what God desires to entrust to us. These services are a spiritual reset and divine recalibration, laying the foundation for everything God intends to do in your life this year and setting the lens through which you will interpret every decision, delay, and door in 2026.
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
Our world is in chaos because people insist on living by their own understanding, and tragically many believers do the same. God, however, has called His people to be peculiar—anchored in His perspective—living from a higher plane where homes, churches, and individuals respond with His wisdom instead of pride, preference, or panic. When life is seen through God’s lens, fear quiets, offense loosens, and confusion gives way to clarity, as delays become preparation, losses become correction, and interruptions become alignment. That shift transforms prayer from controlling outcomes to aligning hearts with God’s wisdom, producing peace, direction, and obedience even without full explanation. After a year marked by hidden pain and heavy strain, this truth remains: God stayed close, carried His people, kept His promises, and now calls us forward to trust and obey—beginning 2026 at the altar in surrendered faith, standing in Christ’s authority, and believing He will bring us through again.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
Prayer Is Where Control Is Surrendered
“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” — Psalm 37:5
From God’s perspective, prayer is not a control room—it is a surrender point. Yet many believers come to prayer carrying plans already decided, asking God to bless what they have already chosen. In that posture, prayer becomes a presentation instead of a submission. True prayer does not inform God of our intentions; it entrusts Him with direction.
Control often disguises itself as responsibility. We tell ourselves we are being wise, prepared, or proactive, when in reality we are anxious about outcomes and afraid to release the reins. Control produces constant tension because it demands certainty in an uncertain world. Surrender, on the other hand, produces rest—not because everything is resolved, but because responsibility has been rightly placed back into God’s hands.
Psalm 37:5 reveals a sequence we often reverse. First, we are told to commit our way to the Lord. Then we are told to trust Him. Only after surrender and trust does Scripture say, “He shall bring it to pass.” God does the bringing to pass—not us. Prayer becomes powerful when we stop trying to manage outcomes and instead trust God to order steps we cannot yet see.
The Subtle Grip of Control
Control is rarely loud. It is quiet, internal, and often spiritualized. It shows up when we say, “I’m just trying to be careful,” or “I need to think this through a little more,” when God has already spoken clearly. Control clings to what feels safe, familiar, and predictable, even when obedience calls us forward.
From God’s perspective, control is not strength—it is fear dressed up as wisdom. It keeps us busy but restless, informed but anxious, prayerful in words but resistant in posture. When we control, we may still pray, but prayer loses its transforming power because nothing has truly been released. God is not asking us to abandon responsibility; He is asking us to abandon ownership.
Surrender does not mean passivity. It means trustful obedience. It is the decision to say, “God, I will follow even if I cannot manage the outcome.” That decision reopens the flow of peace, clarity, and direction.
Why Surrender Always Precedes Direction
Many people ask God for direction while still holding control. But from heaven’s perspective, direction follows surrender—not the other way around. God does not guide what has not been yielded. That is why prayer sometimes feels stuck. It is not because God is silent, but because control is still negotiating.
Psalm 37:5 does not say, “Understand your way, then commit it.” It says, “Commit thy way unto the Lord.” Commitment comes first. Trust comes next. And God’s action follows. When we insist on clarity before surrender, we are asking God to work in reverse of His design.
This is why surrender often feels uncomfortable. It removes our leverage. It requires faith without guarantees. But it is also where God’s faithfulness becomes most visible. When the reins are released, God begins to order steps with wisdom far greater than our own.
What Prayer Sounds Like After Control Is Released
When control is surrendered, prayer changes tone. It becomes less frantic and more focused. Less manipulative and more receptive. We stop telling God how things should unfold and begin asking Him what obedience looks like today.
This kind of prayer brings relief to the soul. Anxiety loosens its grip because outcomes are no longer ours to manage. Decisions become clearer because we are no longer defending preferences. Even waiting takes on a new quality—because waiting in surrender is different than waiting in resistance.
From God’s perspective, prayer is not where we secure guarantees—it is where we secure alignment. And alignment always produces peace, even before circumstances change.
Prayer Father God, In the name of Jesus Christ, I come before You acknowledging that You are Lord—and I am not. I confess that there are areas of my life where I have prayed with my hands clenched instead of open. I repent for controlling outcomes, manipulating timing, and asking You to bless what I was unwilling to release. In Jesus’ name, I renounce every strategy of the enemy that feeds fear, self-reliance, and false responsibility. I break agreement with anxiety disguised as wisdom and control disguised as stewardship. I declare that I am not the source of my provision, protection, or future—you are. Lord, I place the reins back into Your hands. I commit my way to You. I trust You with what I cannot manage, predict, or fix. Where control has produced exhaustion, I receive Your rest. Where fear has dictated decisions, I receive Your peace. Holy Spirit, lead me in surrendered obedience. Order my steps. Guard my heart from taking back what I have released. I declare that You will bring it to pass—not by my effort, but by Your faithfulness.
In the strong and victorious name of Jesus,
Amen.
Unique Challenge — The Open-Hand Practice
Today, choose one specific area you have been controlling—your schedule, a relationship, finances, a decision, or a future plan.
- Name it aloud before God.
- Physically open your hands as a sign of surrender and say, “Lord, I release this to You.”
- For the next 24 hours, refuse to manage or rehearse that issue mentally. When the urge to control returns, repeat: “God is bringing this to pass.”
This is not denial—it is discipline. Surrender practiced daily becomes trust lived freely.
WEDNESDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Joni Oberhage
Linda Mays
Carol Lawhead – Riverside in Conyers
Mandy Martin – Mary May Martin 6 lbs. 7 oz.
Myles Elliott
Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA
Amy Garner’s Dad
Brando Echarte
Debbie Foskey
Don Franklin’s Daughter, Darlene, Son, David
Ed Adkins – Friend of Brian Edwards
Gloria Young
Jake Jenkins
Jenkins son-in-law
June Cronan
Jean Partee’s Sister
Kim McClain’s Daughter, Amanda
Deon Lotter
Doris Loyd
Nancy Brown
Annette Ford
Andrea Nix– Friend of the Shelnutt’s
Angela Bryan’s Sisters
Ann Stanley
Danny Jarrard
Darlene Wiggins
Doris Loyd
Dr. and Mrs. Davis
Eric Magnusson’s Mother
Eric Ward
Friend of Linda Hodge
Gayle Sparks
Linda Alexander
James Burnette
Jessica Headrick
John McClain’s Mother
June Cronan’s Sister
June Davis
Kailey Bateman
Kim McClain’s Mother
Kim’s Sisters – Ann & Brenda
Lee Cronan
Lillianna Magnusson’s Mom
Lonzo Christian
Lori Blount’s Mother
Mary Williams
Mary Williamson – Dana Jackson’s Mom
Mrs. Franklin
Nora Allison
Ron And Johnnie Barry – Friends Of Ashton & Glenda Bateman
Scott Lanier
Scotty Nix
Stephanie Seivers – Friend of the Shelnutt’s
Steve Michaels
Tom Witcher