Surrender
In the churches I attended for many years, there was a time in every Sunday service where congregants were challenged to surrender. It might be for the very first time. It could be to deal with a besetting sin or maybe even to surrender for full time ministry. Many times, we would sing the hymn, “I Surrender All” as we contemplated our life and the need for surrender.
The word surrender doesn’t have the best emotions connected with it. It feels a little like defeat or resignation. But in Jesus’ upside-down kingdom where you lose to gain and die to live, surrender leads to victory. First let me point out, surrender is not a one and done type of decision. Yes, there is significance to the first time we surrender to Christ, but we will be confronted with the decision to surrender to him repeatedly. If surrender leads to victory, I wonder sometimes if we have motives in our surrender that don’t line up with God’s view of victory.
Could it be that I choose to surrender SO THAT God will bless me? Am I humbling myself SO THAT God will exalt me? (James 4:10) Am I wanting to be the compliant child SO THAT I will face less resistance?
Am I defining victory as
· Success
· Peace
· Notoriety
· Riches
· A beautiful white picket fence life with my family (Married with 2 ½ children living in the suburbs)
We don’t surrender to “get,” but because we love Him and trust Him. We know He has a great plan for us. God has a different goal for us and different view of surrender. I love to use the synonym, yield, in the place of surrender because it holds the connotation of deferring or surrendering so I remain safe as in a car yielding to traffic. I wait, I defer, I yield. I may not understand how it will, but I trust it will lead me to victory. It is key to remember God’s definition of victory is for us to look like Jesus.
“God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.” Romans 8:29-30 MSG
Remember looking like Jesus doesn’t mean being perfect, it means reflecting His character. He wants us to be loving, kind, humble, courageous, faithful, and so much more! It occurs when we yield and let Him live through us.
Lord, I surrender to you. I acknowledge there are times I want to go my own way and fix myself (and others) using my own methods, but I will yield to you, and I will trust you.