This begins the edgy season when many major scholarships notify successful candidates and colleges begin to send out acceptance letters. It’s easy to get trapped on an emotional rollercoaster.

We do our best work on applications, essays and resumes, but ultimately the result is in the hand of a sovereign God. He will close some doors and open others powerfully by the practical provision He makes for your student.

One of my students, Alene (not her real name), had applied for one of the richest, most prestigious academic scholarships in her state, Colorado’s Boettcher Scholarship. Her older sister had earned it a couple of years previously, and Alene had an even more impressive academic record than her sister. So expectations were high that Alene would also become a Boettcher scholar. However, the Boettcher also has a public service requirement, and Alene’s public service resume was a little on the light side. When Alene was passed over in favor of candidates with more public service and less brilliant academics, her family was devastated. Their hopes that Alene could study in Colorado on a full ride scholarship were dashed.

A few weeks later, Alene received notice of her designation as a National Merit Scholar. Although the National Merit Scholarship itself is a small monetary award, colleges which want to increase the academic quality of their student bodies aggressively recruit Merit Scholars with offers of full rides plus expenses and a plethora of perks. With this accolade, Alene won access to challenging and respected academic programs across the nation – not just inside her own state. She chose a program in a neighboring state, which still allowed her to come home often, and which paid for tuition, fees, room and board, study abroad, textbooks, even travel back home. Her university actively groomed her for scholarships for post-graduate study, and this year, she is studying for her Masters in England on a Rhodes Scholarship.

So when your scholarship notices begin to arrive, breathe deeply and remember Who it is who holds your future.