On New Year’s Eve, I promised God that I would live in 2015 a life of surrender. In non-Christianese, I meant I planned to commit every single one of my plans to Him and trust only in His will and plans for my life…even when I’m unsure about trusting Him. God reminded me of this promise recently. The realities of life have a way of washing away our resolutions and best intentions. In my life I’ve learnt that when things seem to be falling apart or falling away, it’s not the devil…it’s usually God pulling the rug from under my feet so I fall on my bum and I’m facing upwards, looking at Him, again. On my own, I get very quickly distracted by life, by the urgent burning desires of the living that I often relegate the role of God to limited areas of my life not all of it. I give Him the parts I think I can’t handle on my own and He only even gets those parts fully when I’m certain that I can’t do it on my own. Today I was harshly reminded of my promise to surrender.
The problem with surrendering to God is that you need to hold on to one frightening thing and let go of another thing- a sure thing. What do I mean? To truly surrender, you have to hold on to trust- you have to trust that God actually knows and wants what HE thinks is best for you. AND you have to let go of all your control.
This is terribly hard.
I googled, “How to surrender to God” and I got on this web page that literally felt like it was created with me in mind at this very moment of standing at this Surrender Crossroad. I’ve included the short excerpt from the site below, but before I get there, let me tell you what a young man named Siddiq Shabbaz stated in the comment section in response to another commenter’s (Jodi) desire to surrender:
“Hi Jodi. I prayed this same prayer and found many opportunities to practice it. I was listening to a sermon on patience by Timothy Keller and he recommended not praying for patience because it takes going through the biggest trials to find patience. I think surrender is very similar. I say all that just to say this; if you truly want surrender be prepared for the type of trials that require true surrender. I had that lesson 2 weeks ago and realized the practice I thought was surrender was merely Child’s play and when the real test of surrender came my spirit was nearly broken. But I guess coming out of it now I have a better appreciation for surrender, and know it takes a real change of heart.”
“If you want to surrender, prepare for the type of trials that require true surrender.”
*Insert shudder here*. It all sounds so dark and depressing but here’s the silver lining; when I think about the times that I have actually given myself up to God fully, the results however long they have taken to manifest, have always exceeded my wildest expectations and imagination. So I know that surrendering to God is worthwhile. Now tell my mind and heart that.
While musing earlier this morning, I asked God to show me as I was studying my bible, some information that would be so clearly from Him that once I see it I’d feel like He leaned all the way down and whispered the words directly into my ears. As soon as I saw this scripture, I knew:
“The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” –Proverbs 20:24
Here’s the excerpt I mentioned before from the Daily Hope with Rick Warren :
Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7 (GWT)
Surrendering your life means:
• Following God’s lead without knowing where he’s sending you;
• Waiting for God’s timing without knowing when it will come;
• Expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide;
• Trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances.
You know you’re surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation. You let go and let God work. You don’t have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more.
You also know you’re surrendered when you don’t react to criticism and rush to defend yourself.
Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You are not self-serving, you don’t edge others out, and you don’t demand your rights.
The most difficult thing for many people to surrender is their money. Many have thought, “I want to live for God but I also want to earn enough money to live comfortably and retire someday.” Retirement is not the goal of a surrender life, because it competes with God for the primary attention of our lives. Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money,” (Matthew 6:24 NIV) and “Wherever your treasure is, your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21 NIV).
The supreme example of self-surrender is Jesus. The night before his crucifixion Jesus surrendered himself to God’s plan. He prayed, “Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine” (Mark 14:36 NLT).
Jesus surrendered himself to God’s will. He prayed, “God, if it is in your best interest to remove this suffering, please do so. But if it fulfills your purpose, that’s what I want, too.”
Genuine surrender says, “Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your purpose and glory in my life or in another’s life, please don’t take it away!”
This level of maturity doesn’t come easy. In Jesus’ case, he agonized so much over God’s plan that he sweated drops of blood. Surrender is hard work. In our case, it requires intense warfare against our self-centered nature.
http://rickwarren.org/devotional/english/surrender-let-go-and-let-god-work_993
Oh Wendelyn! 