Leading With An Open Hand
Have you ever held on so tightly to a plan or a dream that it felt like your whole future depended on it? You prayed, worked, strategized, and did everything in your power to make it happen. And yet, the harder you gripped, the more it seemed to slip away.
I know that feeling. I’ve been there, convinced that if I just pushed a little harder, prayed a little longer, or tried one more strategy, things would turn out the way I thought they should. But in those moments, I’ve also heard God whisper to my heart, “Let it go. Put it in My hands.”
What I thought was a dead end turned out to be a doorway. God was showing me that I didn’t have to carry the weight of making everything happen. He was inviting me to loosen my grip and trust His timing.
What It Means to Lead Open-Handed
There’s a kind of leadership that looks strong on the outside but is secretly heavy with pressure. It clutches outcomes. It fears failure. It over-manages because it forgets who’s really in control.
But there’s another kind, the kind Jesus modeled. A surrendered strength. A leadership that lets go of control without letting go of care.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)
That’s open-handed leadership. Trusting God with what we can’t control. Leading with wisdom, yes, but with surrendered outcomes. Planning, yes, but with peace when things shift. Holding the people, plans, and responsibilities we care about, not with clenched fists, but with gentle hands, lifted in faith.
Why It’s Hard to Let Go
Let’s be honest… letting go feels like weakness sometimes. Like we’re giving up. Like we’re not doing enough.
But Jesus, in Gethsemane, let go. “Not My will, but Yours be done.” That’s not weakness, that’s trust in action.
When we try to control what we can’t control, it drains us. It leads to anxiety, micromanagement, even spiritual exhaustion. But when we release the outcome to God, we get to rest in His sovereignty. That kind of trust doesn’t paralyze, it frees us to lead with love, wisdom, and courage.
A Simple Practice: This Week, Try This
Identify one area where you feel pressure to control. Maybe it’s a work project, a financial situation, or even a ministry role.
Write it down. What are you afraid will happen if you let go? What are you hoping God will do?
Pray out loud: “Lord, this belongs to You. I don’t want to control what You’ve called me to trust. Help me to lead from a place of surrender.”
Each day, open your hands physically when you pray, as a posture of surrender. Let that physical act remind your heart of the spiritual reality.
God doesn’t expect you to have it all figured out. He’s not asking for flawless execution. He’s asking for trust. He’s calling you to lead from peace, not pressure.
So, friend, open your hands today. Trust Him with what you can’t control. And watch how He fills your open hands with grace, wisdom, and rest.
Prayer
Father, You know how tightly I hold things sometimes. Help me to lead, love, and live with open hands. Teach me to trust You more deeply. When I’m tempted to control what’s not mine to carry, remind me that You are faithful, that You are good, and that You’re working even when I can’t see it. I surrender again today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
