Next week we will host a Women’s Conference at our church
with the theme, “Surrender.” I have been
prayerfully focusing on what this truly means in my own life. The first thing
that comes to my mind is that surrender must be done willingly. Some of the
definitions for surrender are as follows:
to relinquish, to give in, give (oneself) up, yield, submit, to abandon
oneself entirely to. The last definition
is the one that caught my attention. I believe that God is calling for TOTAL
surrender and not just the parts that are easy for us to give up. Jesus is our greatest example of
surrender. Let’s take a look at the
prayer he prayed in Luke 22:41-42: And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and he knelt down and
prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless,
not my will, but Yours, be done.” Despite
the agony he was experiencing, he was willing to surrender to the will of his
Father undeterred by the discomfort of the flesh. There are things that God is calling for many
of us to do that will not be comfortable for us. That is when we have to decide
if we trust God enough to fully surrender to his plan for our life. Trust is
key because it is not easy to surrender to someone you do not trust. We have to
reach a place where we know without hesitation that God loves us and that he
always has our best interest at heart.
When that happens, trust comes easily. I believe that God is going to
show us places in our lives that are not fully surrendered or submitted to
him. In James 4:7, it says, “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil
and he will flee from you.” Maybe you have been doing the second part of
this verse and wondering why the devil is not fleeing. Don’t skip past the first part! Many times,
surrender is viewed in a negative context as if you are losing or giving up. Surrender is about giving up to a purpose
higher than your own so that his perfect will can be done. When we truly
surrender to God, we put our own desires, plans, ideas, opinions, etc., aside
and allow God to replace these things with what He wants to be there instead.
One of the things that makes it hard for me to surrender
at times is when I don’t know all the details!
However, I am learning to say, “Lord, I don’t know what you’re doing,
and I don’t understand what’s happening or why, but I trust you.” When the angel appeared to Mary to announce
God’s plan for her to carry the Savior, she questioned how the plan would
happen. Though the angel explained that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her,
that was all the explanation she received.
I love Mary’s response in Luke 1:38, “Behold
the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” That is what surrender is all about. It is
determining that whatever God is saying is what we want. I recall a time a few years
ago when I felt that there were some things God wanted to do in my life, yet I
had no idea what they were/are. However,
there was a yearning in my heart for whatever God wants for me, so I said,
“God, I’m giving you an unconditional yes.”
That was scary because I did not know what that meant then, (and still
don’t fully know everything that will entail), but I know I can trust him. What I was telling God was I trust him enough
to say yes even before I know what he will ask. Occasionally, something will
come up and I have to decide if it’s something I should do, and I will hear the
gentle reminder in my spirit, “This is one of those things you said yes
to!”
Surrender is a choice and not something that is imposed
on us. It has to be a heart thing and not just an act. Isaiah 1:19 talks about being willing and obedient.
I’m sure we can all recall times when we have been obedient to do something
when we really didn’t want to do it. When we surrender, it is about changing
our “want to” because we can go through the motions of obedience and not be
fully surrendered. True surrender is about releasing control and letting God be
fully in charge.
Before I end, I want to point out that surrender is not a
one-time thing. There are times
when there are major things that God may be requiring us to surrender, and other times when surrender can happen in the seemingly small things or simply in our daily routine. There is always purpose in surrender, so be sensitive to what he is
leading you to do, large or small.
Take some time to quiet your spirit to hear what God is
speaking to you personally. Is there something he needs you to let go? Is
there something he wants you to do?
Remember, surrendering to God is not about what you lose, it’s what you
gain by allowing him to do in and through you what he wills. Trust him with the details and watch what is
birthed through your willingness to totally surrender.
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