surrender: living life open-handed
I confess, the word surrender can leave a negative connotation in my mind at times.
Surrender can be pretty unpopular in our culture these days. In fact, companies build their slogans contrary to this idea, right? “Have it your way” is coined by the fast food giant Burger King, and back in the 1990s, McDonald’s slogan was “What You Want is What You Get”.
Our whole culture caters to elevating our self, which can ever so subtly creep into our minds as well. I can absent-mindedly find myself allowing these ideas to take root in my mind and heart.
“What?” The world would cry! “Give up your rights, your dreams, your preferences? That is absurd!”
Even though surrender may conjour up some hesitation, lets dig into what Scripture says of this concept the world scoffs at.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12: 1-2)
We are greatly exhorted to offer our bodies to the Lord. Paul encourages us that this is an act of worship! So, what does that look like? What does it mean for our day to day?
I was listening to this Family Life radio podcast on the role of the Holy Spirit. I would invite you to listen to this, if time allows. At the end, Barbara Rainey touched on surrender, these are her words: “Does your body—the living dwelling-place of God—does it belong to Him? Does He have all of it? Does He have all of you? Are you daily surrendering to Him? Surrender is not a one-time thing. We need to surrender to Christ and to the leading of the Spirit every day—every moment of every day—in every situation with our kids, in every circumstance with our husbands, in every relationship with our friends or our church—or whatever it is.”
She continues, “Surrender is a way of life—it’s not a one-time event or a couple of times event—He wants us to surrender to Him every day—every minute of every day. I want to ask— does He have access in your life to every room, every closet, every secret passageway, every back staircase, every corner of your life? Does He have access to every part of you?”
Those were convicting words and truths that I needed to hear!
At times, I can view surrender only in terms of really big struggles or situations in my life. The kind that from the beginning are way out of my league to control or have any influence in changing any outcome. While these big opportunities do allow us to come and meet with Jesus in a uniquely personal way, the big ones are not the only ones that matter…
God has meticulously orchestrated each of our lives with struggles, trials and opportunities to come to know Him deeper. Opportunities for us to choose Him and His will above ours understanding.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
The parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 comes to mind when talking about surrender. Hang with me, I know it is a longer passage, but just wanted to include it for an easy reference for those of you who wish to read it.
For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.
Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
What do we do when we are faced with these opportunities? Is our track record one of stewarding them well? Do we graciously receive them and then offer them back to Jesus with open hands asking Him what He would have us to do, to learn, to grow in this? Is our heart willing to receive fully what He would have for us in this?
Are we similar to the slaves with the five or two talents?
Or do these opportunities cause us to freeze, to potentially fill with self-pity and maybe even become hard hearted towards our Heavenly Father. I am not off-loading guilt. I have found myself in this place at times.
Are we more in line with the slave given the one talent?
Do we bury the chance to know Him more, thinking we are safe in what we incorrectly perceive as our “own hands”? Do we just try to “push through” this struggle, willing ourselves to make it to the other side?
I am reminded of the Casting Crowns song “Just Be Held” when it speaks to the concept of surrender.
“And when you’re tired of fighting
Chained by your control
There’s freedom in surrender
Lay it down and let it go”
I find myself needing to ask Jesus to recreate a correct view of surrender in my life. It is a truly beautiful thing to be able to “lay it down and let it go”. We can have complete confidence in our Deuteronomy 31:8 God! “ It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Can He be trusted be trusted to walk steps with us that He has already taken? Absolutely!
Can the same God who “speaks and a hundred billion creatures catch Your breath” as sung in Hillsong’s song entitled “So Will I” truly have the power He needs to work out this soul-stretching walk I currently find myself in? I would offer a resounding “YES and MORE!”
So, let’s journey together in this area of surrender. Asking Him to retrain our eyes to seeing the deep beauty and peace that comes from life there. I linked the you tube videos to the above mentioned songs. I would encourage you to take a moment to listen and be encouraged by their words! Blessings as together we learn to know Him more in the area of surrender!
References:
FamilyLife Today Radio “The Holy Spirit is Enough for Your Future” August 3, 2018
