Tags
Control, Feet of Jesus, Jesus, Let Go, Let God, peace, Surrender, White Flag, worry
Philippians 2:13 – For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil His good purpose. God does not force His will on us, He simply works in us and gets us to the place where His will ultimately becomes our will.
Surrendering is an intentional act – it does not mean that your will automatically disappears. Instead, it means that when God leads you in a direction that is different from the one you imagined, you “choose” to surrender to God’s path, knowing that the one leading you knows exactly where He is taking you and knows how to get you there. We have a role to play because we have a choice – you retain your freedom of choice while being nudged and steered in a particular direction.
So, what does surrender look like in reality? It means letting go and dropping it all at the feet of Jesus – your plans, timelines, picture of how things should happen or not happen, fears, wants, preferred outcome…all of it! You need to let go and let God take it up.
Therefore, to surrender, we need to learn to manage situations or outcomes we did not plan, expect, or imagine – expect the unexpected! Another way to say this is that we must remain flexible and be ready to handle things we did not see coming through the grace of God. Often, when we try to hold on to our will with one hand, while also “attempting” to do God’s will, we find ourselves getting angry and frustrated with God. In this place of frustration, we might feel like our dreams are falling apart, or our perfectly laid out plans are crumbling. To say this more clearly, we may feel like we are giving up control (which we never really had in the first place). To surrender, we must relinquish control.
But God has got you covered; He only needs you to lay it all at His feet. You cannot get to the place of surrender by will power alone. You need the help of the Holy Spirit and the daily renewal of your mind through His word. As you let go, your will is “gradually” entwined in His, and He works in you to bring you to the place He has prepared for you.
Where the Lord sends or leads you, He guides and provides. It might not be in the way you had “imagined” or “hoped,” but God’s plans for you are better than anything you could ever plan for yourself. He builds and moulds you in the process. He is intentional about you, and He is an extraordinary strategist (trust me on this one). He orders your steps to bring you outcomes you could never have imagined even if you tried.
The hard truth with surrender is that it leads you to a point where you are not sure about your next plan, idea, house, job, relationship, or friendship, but your mind is kept in perfect peace. Not because you do not care about these things but because you trust the one in whose hands the solutions will come. He gives you peace as in John 14:27 – I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So, do not be troubled or afraid.
Is this an easy process? The simple answer is No. As time goes on, however, God brings you to that place where you realise through experience that His will and plans for you are better than anything you could imagine.
You might end up with an outcome different from what you pictured, but it will be much better than you ever imagined. He will do exceedingly abundantly above all you could ask or think. So, let go and let God – Surrender.