Let Go and Fly: Trusting God the Catcher

Sep 06, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Letting Go of the Bar You’ve Clutched Too Long

Trust demands releasing what feels safe to grasp. Like a trapeze flyer clinging to a stationary bar, we often white-knuckle routines, relationships, or fears that keep us stagnant. Growth requires releasing familiar rungs—even when the next swing seems uncertain. The flyer’s safety lies not in clinging but in surrendering to the catcher’s timing. This act mirrors spiritual surrender: opening clenched fists to receive God’s unseen provision. True flight begins when we stop calculating risks and start trusting the One who never drops His children. [42:05]

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
(Job 1:21, NIV)

Reflection: What “bar” have you been gripping out of fear or habit? How might clinging to it prevent you from soaring into God’s next purpose for you?

Day 2: The Catcher’s Unseen Strength in Your Freefall

Midair moments terrify—no bar behind, no bar ahead, just empty space. Yet the trapeze flyer knows the catcher’s grip is strongest in the void. God often proves His faithfulness not in our security but in our freefall. Like Daniel in the lions’ den, we’re called to stillness amid jaws of chaos. The catcher’s job isn’t to explain the timing but to secure the catch. Our role is to stretch empty hands upward, believing strength waits in the unseen. [54:09]

“He said, ‘Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’”
(Daniel 3:25, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you feel spiritually suspended midair? How might this space be designed to deepen your reliance on God’s grip rather than your own footing?

Day 3: Transition Is Where Transformation Takes Hold

Change happens not on the stable bars but in the breath between them. The trapeze artist’s greatest growth occurs mid-swing—the terrifying transition where old rhythms release and new ones begin. Esther faced this when she approached the king unsummoned: her past identity as an orphan couldn’t coexist with her future as a deliverer. God reshapes us in these in-between spaces, where trust outweighs control. What feels like limbo is often His workshop. [01:00:42]

“When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
(Esther 4:16, NIV)

Reflection: What transition have you resisted out of fear? How might this “midair moment” be preparing you for a purpose you can’t yet see?

Day 4: Practicing the Flight Before the Fall

Trapeze artists rehearse relentlessly, building muscle memory to override panic. Similarly, Ruth’s daily faithfulness in gleaning fields prepared her for redemption she couldn’t foresee. Small acts of trust—prayers whispered, fears released, steps taken—train us to rely on the Catcher. Like a flyer rehearsing the release, we cultivate faith not in crisis but in the quiet, ordinary moments that shape our reflexes for greater leaps. [56:05]

“But Ruth replied, ‘Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.’”
(Ruth 1:16, NIV)

Reflection: What daily “practice” of trust (prayer, surrender, obedience) could strengthen your faith muscles for life’s bigger swings?

Day 5: The Crowd Cheering You Toward the Catch

Even the loneliest leap isn’t solitary. The trapeze flyer hears gasps and cheers; Esther had Mordecai’s counsel; Peter had Christ’s outstretched hand. God surrounds us with witnesses—seen and unseen—to bolster our courage. Like Mel Robbins’ supporters at the pitcher’s mound, our community’s faith often carries us when ours falters. Their prayers, like safety nets, remind us we’re not flying alone. The Catcher designed us to soar within a chorus of “You can do this!” [01:04:20]

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”
(John 14:1, NIV)

Reflection: Who in your life models reckless trust in God’s catch? How could their example inspire your next leap of faith?

Sermon Summary

Trust in God is one of the hardest things anyone can do, especially when life brings news that nobody saw coming. God can use a timely prayer, a sealed letter, or a word from someone else to help a frightened heart find its trajectory again. The trapeze gives a picture of what trust looks like. The flyer has one job: let go, fly, stretch out both arms, and trust the catcher to do what the catcher does.

The flyer cannot safely try to catch the catcher. The flyer’s attempt to grab control works against the very thing that can save them. God is the catcher, and people are the flyers. God asks His children to release the bar they know before they can move toward the next one. The space between the bars can feel like a dark void, a place with no guarantees, no net, and no insurance policy. Transition is still the only place where real change occurs.

Job shows trust when blessings are gone and hardship remains. Job recognizes that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, yet the Lord is still worthy of blessing. Daniel shows trust that will not compromise, even when faithfulness leads straight to a lion’s den. Esther shows that biblical courage is not the absence of fear but obedience in the presence of fear. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego show that God can meet His people in the fire, bringing them out without even the smell of smoke. Ruth shows that faith often looks like love, loyalty, humble labor, and trust in God’s provision.

God’s people do not need a platform to be faithful. God often uses ordinary people who are willing to obey, take a faithful risk, and place the outcome in His hands. Fear, loneliness, and feeling frozen can all come before a person lets go of an old bar. God still calls for that first small step, even when the bridge disappears into fog.

The posture of surrender gives the Holy Spirit free reign to direct and sustain the journey. God places every life inside His greater story of hope and restoration for individuals, families, communities, and the local church. Jesus says, “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God and trust in me.” God remains loving, faithful, and trustworthy in life and in death. The catcher must catch. The flyer must trust.

Key Takeaways

1. Let go to truly fly [45:49] The trapeze image exposes how tightly people cling to control. The present bar may feel safe, even when it has become the very thing keeping a person from moving forward. God does not call His children to reckless independence, but to release their grip and depend on His strong hand. Faith begins where self-protection can no longer be the final authority. [45:49]
2. God’s sovereignty holds hardship and blessing [48:54] Job’s confession does not deny grief or make loss small. Job names God as Lord over both the gifts that fill his hands and the pain that empties them. Trust rests in God’s character when circumstances refuse to make sense. God’s sovereignty means hardship never has the final word over a life held by Him. [48:54]
3. Courage obeys while fear remains [52:07] Esther does not become fearless before she approaches the king. Esther acts while fully aware that obedience may cost her life. Biblical courage does not wait for emotions to become comfortable before doing what is right. God can use ordinary faithfulness to protect and bless others. [52:07]
4. God meets His people in fire [53:55] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship what is false, even under the threat of the furnace. God does not always keep His children from entering difficult places, but His presence is not absent there. The fourth figure in the fire reveals that faithfulness is never lonely, even when the flames are real. God’s deliverance leaves a testimony that even hostile powers must reckon with. [53:55]
5. Trust the catcher every day [01:09:49] Trust is not a single dramatic decision made once and forgotten. Every uncertainty, anxiety, and hard transition becomes another moment to stretch out empty hands in prayer. God’s faithfulness does not depend on a person’s ability to manage the flight perfectly. The catcher’s strength, not the flyer’s control, is the ground of safety.

## [69:49]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[37:16] - Trusting God Through Unexpected News
[39:04] - Looking Up at the Trapeze
[41:50] - The Flyer and the Catcher
[45:28] - God Is the Catcher
[48:20] - Job and Trust in Hardship
[49:41] - Daniel’s Uncompromising Faith
[51:34] - Esther’s Courage in Fear
[52:59] - Faithfulness in the Fiery Furnace
[55:22] - Ruth’s Loyalty and Redemption
[58:32] - Releasing the Present Bar
[61:17] - Taking the First Step of Faith
[66:23] - Surrender and the Holy Spirit
[68:06] - Trust the Catcher

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Job 1:21
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” [48:51]

John 14:1
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” [01:12:30]

Daniel 3:25
“He said, ‘Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’” [54:04]

Ruth 1:16
“But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.’” [55:51]

Observation questions

In Job 1:21, what does Job say belongs to the Lord, and how does he respond after great loss? [48:51]
In the trapeze picture, what are the distinct responsibilities of the flyer and the catcher, and what happens when the flyer tries to catch the catcher? [41:50]
What details in Daniel 3:25 show that God’s people were not alone or defeated in the fire? [54:04]
According to Ruth 1:16, what commitments does Ruth make to Naomi, Naomi’s people, and Naomi’s God? [55:51]

Interpretation questions

Job blesses the Lord while grieving what has been taken away. How can a believer honestly acknowledge pain without treating God as unfaithful or absent? [49:07]
Jesus says not to let troubled hearts rule and calls His followers to trust God and trust Him. What does that kind of trust look like when a person does not yet know how a difficult situation will turn out? [01:12:30]
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not kept out of the furnace, but God was present with them there. How might this shape a believer’s expectations about God’s help in suffering? [53:59]
Ruth chose loyalty, humble work, and trust in God’s provision instead of the security she knew. What does her story show about the ordinary, daily ways faith can be lived out? [56:08]

Application questions

What “present bar” are you most tempted to hold onto right now—control, comfort, a familiar plan, a relationship, financial security, or something else? What might it look like to place that area in God’s hands? [01:01:01]
Where are you presently in a transition: grieving something that is gone, waiting for clarity, beginning something new, or facing an unexpected decision? What fear is most present in that space? [01:00:24]
Esther acted faithfully even though she was afraid. Is there a conversation, act of obedience, or faithful risk you have delayed because fear has been calling the shots? What would one small, wise next step look like? [52:22]
Ruth’s faith was shown through love, loyalty, and humble labor. Who in your life may need practical care, steady loyalty, or encouragement from you this week? [57:31]
When anxiety rises, what helps you stretch out your hands to God in prayer rather than trying to control every outcome? Could you name one simple prayer or daily practice that would help you trust Him this week? [01:09:24]
God often strengthens people through the prayers and support of others. Who has helped you take a difficult step of faith, and who might God be calling you to support as they take theirs? [01:06:23]
God is loving, faithful, and trustworthy in life and in death. How would remembering God as the catcher change the way you face one specific uncertainty this week? [01:09:49]

Sermon Clips

62s

#TrustTheCatcher

“A catcher must catch. The flyer trust. So we're invited as we fly through life to trust, not to try to grab hold of God, but to trust for him to catch us. We have to fly through this life with our outstretched arms and trust the catcher is going to be there for us. As god always and always will. Trust the catcher every day in every way. Trust Trust, trust, trust.”

48s

#LetGoBeCaught

“After all, the flyer's safety depends on their willingness to let go and allow themselves to be caught. And the strong hand of the catcher will pluck you to safety. In life and in death, we are invited to trust the catcher, to trust our loving God. And this year, with all of its many and various challenges, is a year when we are being invited once again to trust, trust, trust.”

61s

#TrustGodDaily

“Again and again, have to remind myself this year to trust the caption. Just stretch on my arms, my hands in prayer, and trust. Swinging through this year with all of the ups and downs, all of the uncertainties, all of the anxieties just below the surface. Day in and day out, I keep coming back to this wonderful simple truth that God is our catcher. Loving, faithful, and trustworthy. We can trust God to catch us.”

51s

#PracticeYourFaith

“You took that first step to trust and faith, to solve an issue, to make yourself better and closer to your God. Like the trapeze artist, you may fall many times as you practice and grow in your faith. The good news is that your catcher, is always going to be there. His only job is to catch you as you fly. Each time you try, you're going to get better, you're going to grow in faith, and you're going to get it.”

70s

#ReleaseToGrow

“For me to grow, I must release my grip on that present bar and to move to the other. And for you to grow, you must release your grip on your present bar and move to a new one. Each time that we let go of our bar, we know that we must totally release our grasp on our own bar. And for some moment in time, we are hurdling space before we can grab one to that next bar. Each time fills us with terror. But we need to do it anyway.”

77s

#SurrenderToGod

“All we have to do is to prepare ourselves to do two things in life. Let go and fly. God is our catcher. I have simply to outstretch my arms and wait for him to catch me and pull me to safety. This metaphor of trust needs to become a spiritual lesson for us. Liking it back to surrendering one's life to God's care. It stands as a timeless metaphor for life's most delicate balances. Those balances between and faith between control and surrender.”

61s

#PrayerOfSurrender

“So today and going forward, you have the chance, opportunity. You have the responsibility to pray a prayer of surrender. you get out on your trapeze, and as God has taught you and you have practiced, you let go of that bar and you sore. Because you very well know with all your being that God is your catcher. You trust your catcher. That is your job. It's the hardest thing to do and the easiest when we have faith in our savior.”

47s

#CourageousObedience

“It had cost the life of the queen before, but she was afraid, yet she acted anyway. God often uses ordinary people who are simply willing to be faithful. You don't need a platform just obedience. And biblical courage is not the absence of fear, it's the obedience in the presence of fear. God often calls us to take faithful for the sake of others. And Esther did that.”

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