“Surrender your heart to God turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins—even those you do in secret. Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry.” (Job 11:13-18 CEV)
Surrender is a difficult and often very frightening proposition. We’re so prone to doing things our way, but when our way paints us into an inescapable “corner,” our outcomes aren’t very bright otherwise.
Too often, even as Jesus followers, we want to treat surrender as something temporary. “Okay, Lord, get me out of this jam and I’ll serve you forever.” It’s the proverbial “battlefield” prayer: “Lord, if You’ll let me live I’ll devote the rest of my life to serving you!” But, too often, after He saves our life we run to the bar, rather than to the altar.
Why are we so afraid to surrender to the Lord? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines surrender: “to yield to the power of another: give up under compulsion: relinquish.” Some of that applies to our life in Christ, but not all. Yes, of course, in giving our lives to the Lord we are yielding to the power of another and, yes, without question, the Lord asks us to relinquish our rights to our own life, but it’s never under compulsion.
Of what are we so reluctant to give up? CONTROL! Therein lies the problem. But think about it – where has your control gotten you so far? On some levels you may have done very well, but in light of eternity, of what real value is it? I think of the words of Jesus in Mark 8:36-37 when He said: “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”
Eternity is a very long time to be wrong. So, why not focus on what you gain by surrendering? Yes, we give up our sin(s) of choice, but what we gain far outweighs our perceived loss. Sin is pleasure for a season, but when it grows old, it leaves us lost, empty, bitter, and hopeless.
Jesus forgives, cleanses, frees, liberates, empowers us to live a holy, separated life for Him, fills us with joy, peace, confidence, purpose, hope, and puts us on a mission that is fulfilling and satisfying beyond anything the world can offer.
Job put it this way: “you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge,and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry.” What’s not to love about that! But here’s the best part.
Those are human benefits, but what knowing, loving, and being devoted to Jesus gives is – JESUS! There is no greater gift we could ever receive than Him, His friendship, kindness, love, grace, closeness, guidance, gifts, and, arguably, His best gift – His Spirit living in and working through us.
Surrendering control is hard, there’s no easy way around it, and it often takes time to give it up completely, but may I be honest? It’s worth the risk! I’ve learned the Lord does a much better job running my life than I ever did. My joy is complete in Him, my satisfaction with life is greatly enhanced, and the grace He extends is allowing me to grow closer and closer to Him.
Here’s the bottom line for me: there’s just nothing this world can offer that compares. Throw in eternal bliss and it’s a no-brainer. What are you waiting for?
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 