I Surrender to Him

How easy is it to surrender to the Lord?

Surrender is one of those topics that nobody ever wants to talk about, especially in the context of Christianity. Reason? Nobody wants to let God have full control over their lives, for fear that things will not go their way. In fact, for most people, as long as there is an available solution to a problem, surrendering it to God is the last thing on their minds. In my case, there have been several moments when I have surrendered as a last resort – out of desperation! My question to all of us is, however, is that how God requires us to surrender to Him?

I should surrender to Him as an act of worship

Romans 12:1 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” (NLT)

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Picture this. Your car breaks down as you head home from a late function. It is dark and there are no other motorists in sight. Suddenly you see this car come slowly towards you, and as you watch, it stops right in front of you. As the occupants get out, you panic, only to recognize them as people who work in the same office block as you. They volunteer to stay with you until help arrives, and after you get home, call to make sure you are safe and sound. Wouldn’t you be eternally grateful to them?

Jesus did more than just get us out of a scary situation, he gave us the opportunity to be free from eternal damnation by giving himself on the cross for us. Because of him, we no longer face eternal separation from God; rather, we can look forward to spending eternity in his presence.

How, then, do we express our gratitude to God for this wonderful gift? By giving ourselves to him in total surrender – letting him have our bodies and our lives to use for his glory. Though giving yourself totally to him seems difficult, think about how hard it must have been for him to leave his throne in heaven to die such a painful death.

I should surrender to Him because I belong to Him

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” (NLT)

There it is again – the mention of that steep price that Christ paid for us. Once we accept the gift of salvation for which he gave his life, we become his children. His spirit lives in us and we experience renewed fellowship with God.

How expensive was God’s gift to us? Jesus, though he was the Son of God, gave up all that he had to come to earth, experience life as a mortal, and eventually, go through a horrific death on the cross for our sake. He really didn’t have to go through all that, but he did, out of love for us.

Think about an item that you have longed to purchase for ages. When you finally get the money together for the final payment, how do you feel? You walk confidently into the shop, hand over the money and receive the item. You pay for the item, and it becomes yours – it is now up to you to take good care of it.

Similarly, when Jesus paid the price for us, we became his, and it was now up to him and His Father to take good care of us. Surrendering to the Lord, therefore, means handing over your life to him, and letting him take care of you. After all, he created you, and he knows what he has planned for your life!

I should surrender to Him just like Jesus did

Jesus shows us the perfect example of surrender when he utters the words below.

Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (NLT)

Jesus knew what pain awaited him on the cross, yet he still went ahead to obey his Father. Why? Because he had surrendered to his Father’s will. Though what lay ahead was painful and would result in his death, Jesus still went forth in obedience to his Father.

What would you do if you were in Jesus’s shoes? Come up with another plan of action perhaps? Or maybe try to strike a deal with God? Faced with the same situation, I am not sure I would be as ready as Jesus was to obey!

Surrendering to God’s will is not always easy, especially where pain, disappointment, and even death are part of the package. I find that the hardest part behind surrender is not knowing and being in control of what lies ahead. It takes true faith and trust in the Lord to surrender to him completely – to say, “let your will be done, not mine.”

There is a wonderful end to Jesus’s story of surrender. He died, yes, but after he rose again and spent some a few days on earth with disciples, he ascended into heaven and returned to his place with his Father. His story of surrender is a great lesson for us – though we may not know or understand what lies ahead at the point of surrender, we can trust God to work things out for our good, and for his glory!