“The enemy knows that without surrender, we will never experience the freedom that God offers us.”
Katherine J. Walden
I almost ran up to the altar call at my one hundred-year-old mentor’s memorial service. Germaine loved to intercede and release God’s spiritual gifts to those she met, so it was fitting the remembrance and honor of her life included an opportunity to receive prayer. I don’t remember the words prayed over me, but I do remember falling back onto the floor. I lied there and wept, surrendering myself once again to our upcoming move to Wichita. I had grieved and surrendered for six months and wondered how many more times I would need to relinquish my will, to get to the place of acceptance of God’s will.
Peter once asked Jesus how many times he should forgive those who have sinned against him, generously suggesting seven times. “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven’” (Matthew 18:22). Jesus emphasized the endless need to forgive those who have offended us. Likewise, the act of surrender is not a one-time process. It’s a forever, over and over again, till the day God takes us home, kind of progression. Elisabeth Elliot said: “One does not surrender a life in an instant. That which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime.”
Just like grieving and emotional healing comes in waves, so too does the act of surrender. Each wave of surrender is fresh and new as it crashes down upon our hearts. But it’s the waves of surrender which lead us to the shores of acceptance and freedom.
What are you struggling to let go of today? In what aspect of your life do you need to cease resisting God? Where in your lifestyle is God asking you to concede or yield? Are you running away from God or the conviction of the Holy Spirit, when it’d be better to surrender and acquiesce?
The sooner we surrender and come to the place of acceptance, the sooner we will experience peace, contentment and freedom.
“It is wonderful what miracles God works in wills that are utterly surrendered to Him.”
Hannah Whitall Smith
Relevant Reflection:
In what area of your life is God asking you to surrender again?
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