Surrender

Today, I want to continue from where I left off. Last time, I wrote about the significance of having something at the center of your life and what it practically looks like. Instead, now I want to answer a simple question: how do we keep God at the center of our life? The answer to this question can be summed up in one word: surrender. All you have to do is surrender yourself to God. Even though this sounds super simple, it is one of the hardest things you can ever do.

Imagine that you’re flying. You are the pilot and your copilot is someone who has never flown before. You have years of piloting under your belt and are considered the best there is. Imagine then feeling super sick and thus having to give the wheel to your copilot. The copilot now has complete control and you have none. Isn’t that terrifying? Even though this is not how flying a plane really works, I believe it truly helps us understand how your relationship with God works. This is what it feels like to surrender to God. Nevertheless, the reality is different. God is the pilot, the one who knows everything. We are the copilot, the one who doesn’t know much and has very little experience. God knows what he is doing, He has a plan. Thus, doesn’t it look stupid that we are trying to gain control? That we, the copilot, are trying to take control of the plane? Then, why would God allow us to take the wheel? Does He really just want us to fail? 

I think that it can be really frustrating to think that God would allow us to just sin. If God is truly good and truly loves us, how could he just allow us to leave him. 2 Peter 3:9 discusses this: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” Proverbs 19:21 does a great job at explaining this reasoning as well: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man,/but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” God will always prevail. While I do not want to start an argument as to whether we have free will or not, I want to highlight that God has got you, thus surrendering should be easy, not a hard thing to do. As David writes in Psalm 31:19 “Oh, how abundant is your goodness,/ which you have stored up for those who fear you/ and worked for those who take refuge in you,/ in the sight of the children of mankind!”. God is good. Why should we fear him? Why should we not trust him? If God is truly good. 

In a practical matter what does surrendering mean? It looks like prayer and building your relationship with God. It simply looks like consistently putting time with God over other things. Choosing to spend time with him in our moments of free time, carving out time for him on a daily/weekly basis. Now, I don’t mean that you only have to spend time with God, you can still do other fun things as well. There just needs to be time where you are reading your bible, listening to people preach and praying. 

In conclusion, trust God. Surrendering can look scary and feel impossible to do. The reality of it is that we have no reason to not surrender to him. Thus I want to challenge you: do you surrender to God?

Prayer: God, I want to pray for this reader that they may go through their life and just realize the necessity for you. That they may just have a wanting to surrender to you and a need to follow you. I pray that they may get to know you every single day of their life and that they may praise you every day. I wish that this reader may have a fantastic week and some wonderful sleep. In Jesus’ name, Amen.