Saturday, August 15, 2009

The Struggle of Surrender

“‘But I am afraid to surrender…’” Jeremiah 38:19

Surrender. Not a popular word. It implies giving up. Letting go. Losing.

Why am I so often afraid to surrender?

In a song Steven Curtis Chapman sings, “The Sake of the Call”, there’s a line that expresses the heart of surrender: “Simply because it is Jesus who called, And if we believe we’ll obey.”

Believe what?
That the way will be easy? No.
That God can be trusted? Yes.

It’s not so much believe what, but Who.

Another matter of trust.

Do I trust the Lord with my life?

Surrender means relinquishing control and desiring God’s plans above my own. In surrendering I am allowing God to embrace me fully.

If I really know God, placing my life in His hands should be easy because no-one loves me more. Maybe it's so hard, and I'm so fearful, because in any other relationship with surrender, love and trust have been accompanied with great risk and at times resulted in deep pain.

Surrender to God is not confining, but defining. It is not debilitating but liberating.

“We are must fully alive when we are most fully surrendered to God.”

"For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."

I long to be "completely His."



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8 comments:

Lori said...

I long to be completely His too!

This song just came to me, so I looked up the words...
"Trust & obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey...what he says we will do, where he sends we will go; never fear, only trust and obey." Hugs ~ Lori - AZ

Yolanda said...

Joy,

This was beautiful, and I too my precious Friend, long to be fully and completely HIS.

I can't help but think of Psalms 139:13-14

Lovingly,
Yolanda

Elizabeth Mahlou said...

I think full, complete trust is not only possible, it is the best way to live fully. Every time I have taken a risky step off the edge of a cliff for a good reason, God has handed me a parachute -- even when I was an atheist. If He will help an atheist, He will help a believer. I have trusted Him with very dire financial circumstances and with financial risk-taking. I have trusted Him with the lives of my children, who have been in dire medical straits. I have trusted Him with my career, and it has blossomed and bloomed -- and so have the careers of my employees. Full trust is possible -- and oh, the miracles from it. (We have had several "sure to die" employees fully recover from our 400-peopled division praying for them - together.) Amazing! (But it does start with unconditional trust, and I know that can be hard at first.)

Sita said...

Joy, thanks for your blessing. Learning trust is a difficult road, giving up every ounce of "I can do this" to "without God I can do nothing" that brings Him glory..
Love, Sita

Tulabell said...

I agree. Our human relationships is often compared to our relationship with God and Christ...I have a hard time getting past needing everything now. I want to trust God but my flesh is always fighting with the desire to know everything now. What is His plan for me? Why I can't just trust is so frustrating. I sometimes wonder if He ever loses His patience with me, but I know He doesn't. I just ask and converse with him and when I read the word He calms my storm. Thank you for reminding me of this and to surrender my impatience and to place my trust in Him each and every day!

ג. ג. said...

Our own will is our greatest obstacle. Glad I stumble upon your blog.

Marilyn in Mississippi said...

"Surrender to God is not confining, but defining." Wow! Now that gives me something to chew on for a while!

Thanks!

Marilyn...in Mississippi

~Grace and Peace said...

The Struggle of Surrender: Lately, my whole Christian walk can be summed up in this phrase. In my mind, I know the best way to go is His way. I wish my heart would listen and not argue with my mind. Or maybe it's the other way around? At any rate, one is not agreeing with the other.