Surrender it to Him, whether He says "yes," "no," or "not today."
Have you ever wondered what true surrender means?
We’re told to surrender everything over to God, but the Bible also says “In all situations, pray” (Philippians 4:6) and “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
The two commands have always sounded contradictory to me, and I’ve wondered for a long time what does it actually mean and look like to surrender? Surrendering usually means hands off, backing away, giving up on having any control of the situation. There have been a plethora of things in my life where I was told, and knew, that I needed to surrender it.
But again, what does it actually mean to surrender a dream, a desire, or a hope over to God? Does it mean stopping any attempts to fulfill that dream you were told to leave in God’s hands? Does it look like being still, like from Psalm 46:10? Does it mean forgetting about it? (How can you just forget about a dream?!)
To me, praying is doing “something” so how do you pray without stopping while surrendering it to God? This is something I’ve thought a lot about– something I enjoy pondering and talking to God about even though the last couple years haven’t resulted in an answer.
I remember praying about working at the company I do now. I had just graduated college and was working my first job in a role I wasn’t very good at, and I remember emailing a woman at this company about once a year asking about having a tour of the building, while simultaneously praying “Lord, if it be Your will, I pray You would open a door for a chance to work there someday.”
I didn’t pray for this every night, and I was never anxious while praying about it. I prayed about this and kept communication with the representative for a little over a year when one day, an email came through that there was an opening on the copywriting team.
After months of interviews and waiting, the woman who I emailed about having a tour became my boss. It makes me sad that I forget about how many faith-building lessons were in that waiting season.
I learned about God’s faithfulness, His provision, trusting Him and His timing, that He hears our prayers, and how to surrender.
I think sometimes surrendering looks like a full surrender– having nothing to do with such anymore, but other times I think surrender looks like taking up your cross daily ( ), telling God your desires but then acknowledging that God’s plans and timing are best and because He is for you, you can let go of control knowing His outcome is best.
In other words, you can pray about something that you’re leaving in God’s hands. Pray for His ultimate will to be done, pray for His wisdom and clarity, and pray for peace. This isn’t easy. The devil will absolutely try to consume you with this and make you feel anxious at the thought of not having it.
When that happens, I take a deep breath, surrender (admit I don’t have) control, and declare “Thy will be done.”
I think of Hannah in the Bible who prayed for a long time for God to give her a baby. She prayed without ceasing (she prayed consistently) and not only did she surrender all power of this happening to God (for only He could allow life to be created from her efforts), she surrendered her greatest desire to God. "Lord Almighty, look at me, your servant! See my trouble and remember me! Don't forget me! If you give me a son, I promise that I will dedicate him to you for his whole life and that he will never have his hair cut." (1 Samuel 1:11)
Hannah waited and prayed a long time, but in the perfect timing, God granted her the desire of her heart.
Now, nothing should ever take God’s rightful place in your heart, and when you know that space is threatened by the thing you're asking God for, something “must” be done.
The Lord wants to hear from you. He wants to hear your honest feelings and thoughts, and talking to Him is the only way to know Him and have a relationship with Him.
So what does surrender and prayer look like? Pray about what you’ve left in God’s hands. He knows your heart, He knows what you desire, but He won’t give you anything other than what’s best for you (and don’t you think your Creator who “made” you would know what’s best for you in every way?)
Prayer works with surrender because it will help you decipher God’s timing and plan for you.
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