Celebrating Weakness was not the name I would have chosen for my first blog. I mean, come on, have you heard of any important blogs with a name like that? Surely God was kidding me. I brainstormed powerful words and tested out combinations. My personal favorite was “TotallyWeakPerfectlyStong.com.” Catchy and cute, huh? But in the end, God won, and I surrendered to God’s will for my blog and gave up my own. CelebratingWeakness.com was born. Surrendering to God’s will was hard, and this is how I did it.
Surrender. It is a word that Christians bandy around to describe the process of letting go of “our way” and choosing God’s way instead. Defined, surrender means to cease resistance, to submit, to agree to stop fighting, hiding, and resisting. We humans wouldn’t do any of those things, would we? I should have a Olympic metal in recognition of all of my attempts to fight with God. Sadly, I’ve never won.
Oswald Chambers, in his classic devotional My Utmost for His Highest, describes surrendering to God’s will this way:
True surrender is not simply surrender of our external life but surrender of our will— and once that is done, surrender is complete. The greatest crisis we ever face is the surrender of our will. Yet God never forces a person’s will into surrender, and He never begs. He patiently waits until that person willingly yields to Him. And once that battle has been fought, it never needs to be fought again.
Biblical Surrender
In the Bible, we see many examples of surrender. For instance, Esther surrendered her life to intercede for her people, saying with great courage, “If I perish, I perish.” The prophet Isaiah went naked and barefoot for three years at God’s command – that was some serious surrender! In the New Testament, we see the Apostle Paul being “poured out as a drink offering”and being willing to live (instead of dying and being with Jesus) for the sake of the Philippians.
When Jesus walked on this earth, He was the epitome of surrender. Jesus actively chose God’s will over His own. He learned obedience to God through the things He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). He delighted to do God’s will (Psalm 40:8). Above all, in the Garden of Gethsemane, facing a cruel, painful, and humiliating death, Jesus’ prayer of surrender was “Not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus redeemed us. He is our best example of surrendering to God’s will.
Jesus won’t ask you to do something that He has not done. He has demonstrated surrender for us.
What is the process of surrendering to God’s will? Here are 6 steps that I’ve discovered.
This occurs when God comes to you and asks you to do something and you respond with, “Who, me? Surely you are wrong, God.” We see this as Gideon argued with God from behind the winepress about his weakness. When God asks Moses to become His corporate spokesman and deliverer, Moses argued about his speech impediment and the fact that he was not eloquent. These great men of old were not zapped or disqualified by arguing with God. A quick obedience might be better but I’m not perfect and I argue with God, like I did over the name of this blog.
When God asks you to do the audacious, you need to take some time to consider the cost. Luke 14:18 says, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” This isn’t determining if God can do what He has asked you to do, but it is deciding if you are willing to pay the personal cost of accomplishing God’s will.
“Although he was ready to go deeper with God, Mr. Howells confessed that there was some fear…the obedience already had been so costly that he was afraid of what might come now…”.
Like love and forgiveness, surrender is a choice, not a feeling. It is choosing to lay down your will and take on God’s will. These are verses that I declare over myself and my will as I choose to surrender:
“I am not my own; I was bought at a price.” 1 Cor. 6:19-20
“I delight to do Your will” Psalm 40:8
“…not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
“For to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain.” Phil. 1:21
” I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Jesus Christ now lives in me.”Galatians 2:20
Sometimes when we surrender, we can still be afraid of what God has asked us to do. It may be an area where we have to let go of control, or confront, or press past our fear and step out and lead. Courage is not the absence of fear, but courage is pressing forward in spite of your fear. Do it afraid if you have to. But do it.
No matter what happens when you choose to surrender to God’s will, you know that you have done what God has asked of you and you have been obedient. You leave the outcome in God’s hands, knowing that He is faithful and true. As Queen Esther surrendered her life in order to intercede for her people, she left her very life in God’s hands. We can, too.
Surrender is the only way to walk closely with God. When He comes and asks, you have a choice to surrender to His will or to continue to walk in your own. If you choose to surrender to His way, it may be costly, but it is also glorious. Knowing that we are smack dab in the center of God’s will for our lives gives us great confidence before God and before men.
I challenge you to choose to surrender today to what He is asking you to do. It may be difficult, but you won’t regret surrendering to God’s will.
What about you? Where is God asking you to surrender? I would love to pray for you.
Sharing is caring. If this post encouraged you, will you share it on Facebook so that it could bless your friends,too? Thanks for helping me to reach more struggling women with encouragement, hope, and grace.
