It's not easy to faithfully live out today and also let go of our desire to control tomorrow. Sometimes what we really want isn't control, but rather reassurance that everything will turn out okay. But following Jesus means learning a different way of living: trusting God with what we cannot see, fix, or control.
If you're in a season of uncertainty, waiting, transition, or simply feeling tired from trying to hold everything together, these five Christian books offer thoughtful encouragement for learning to let go of control and trust God with what comes next.
1. This Moment Matters by Ruth Chou Simons
Ruth Chou Simons's This Moment Matters centers on cultivating a grace-filled life through ordinary, everyday choices. Rather than treating our daily lives as something we're trying to get through until the “real” thing happens, Simons encourages readers to recognize God's grace wherever they are in their journey.
Simons explores six areas of everyday life—looking to Jesus, cultivating delight, embracing simplicity, caring for yourself, creating a haven, and investing in your people—and offers 100 ideas for cultivating beauty and grace in ordinary moments.
This is a particularly good book for you if you find yourself constantly living mentally in the future, waiting for the next thing to happen before you can fully appreciate where you are now. It reminds us that surrendering control isn't only about asking, “What happens next?” Sometimes surrender looks like receiving the moment God has given you today—even when that moment feels ordinary, insignificant, or mundane.
Pick up your copy of This Moment Matters today!
2. Now and Not Yet by Ruth Chou Simons
Now and Not Yet is the book you should read when the hardest part of trusting God is the waiting. Maybe you're praying for something that hasn't happened. Maybe you thought you'd be further along in life by now. You know God is faithful, but maybe you're struggling to understand why He hasn't answered your prayers in the way you hoped.
One of the most helpful reminders in this book is that waiting time isn't wasted time. We easily believe that our lives will finally begin when we reach the thing we've been hoping or striving for. But God is not absent from the in-between. He is purposeful in our waiting, using this season to shape us, grow our faith, and prepare us for whatever comes next.
If you struggle with learning to trust God when His timeline doesn't match your own, Now and Not Yet is the book for you.
3. Making Peace with What I Can't Control by Lysa TerKeurst
Lysa TerKeurst in Making Peace with What I Can't Control, writes to directly address the exhausting cycle of overthinking, trying to fix other people, preventing outcomes we fear, and desperately trying to figure everything out. What makes the premise so relatable is that control can feel like responsibility, wisdom, or preparation rather than control when we're the ones in charge.
The book addresses the tension of wondering what God is doing—or why He seems to allow something to happen—and feeling as though we have no choice but to take control ourselves. It shows how to recognize the difference between what is yours to steward and what is ultimately God's to carry.
If you're someone who has ever thought, "If I don't handle this, who will?" Making Peace with What I Can't Control is a must-read.
4. More Than You Can Imagine by Susie Larson
More Than You Can Imagine by Susie Larson asks why trusting God can feel easy in some areas of our lives and incredibly difficult in others. Larson connects that struggle with our identity and the lies that can make us question who God is and who we are in Him.
Rather than simply telling readers to "trust God more," Larson explores what happens when we begin to see ourselves as God sees us—as His beloved children—and allow His Word and Spirit to reshape the way we approach our lives.
You'll find More Than You Can Imagine particularly helpful if your struggle with surrender is tied to fear, identity, or uncertainty about whether you can really trust God with your future.
5. When Jesus Is Everything by Jennie Allen (October 6, 2026 Release)
Jennie Allen's When Jesus Is Everything is a 365-day devotional designed as a year-long journey of learning what it means to follow Jesus fully—with a willingness to surrender to Him again and again. At the heart of the devotional is the idea that when Jesus becomes the center of our lives, our circumstances no longer have to determine our sense of security, peace, or purpose.
We can want good things—purpose, stability, peace, security, meaningful relationships, and a life that makes an impact—and release our demand that those things happen according to our plans or on our timeline. Trusting God doesn't mean we stop caring about what happens next. It means we stop believing we have to control the outcome.
If you want your surrender to become a daily practice rather than simply an idea you agree with, When Jesus Is Everything is one read you need to add to your list. Order your copy before it's official October 6, 2026 release date.
5 Christian Books for Letting Go of Control and Trusting God
