Surrender equals trust. Surrender means trusting God. I find that we believe we do this more than we actually do. Trusting God is really easy until He calls on you to act upon that trust. It is here where metaphorically, the rubber meets the road. Trust is the ingredient that makes doing, saying, going, and giving possible. Without trust, surrender does not happen. Why does God call us to do all of these things? He is teaching us, his children, how to trust Him.
Proving Ourselves Wrong
We believe we know what we need best. We trust our instincts over God’s perfect knowledge(Psalms 139:1-6). Why do we foolishly believe that we know our needs better than God? God does not think as we do. He simply knows. To prove ourselves wrong, we must simply look at who God is and who we are in relation to God. There is something that goes on when we shift our perspective to the realization that God knows way better than we ever could pretend to know. There is this honest realization that we really do not know what we thought we knew. It is as if we suddenly realize how great God is and how much we need him. It is here, at this realization, that we can begin to trust.
Psalms 139:1-6
‘O Lord , you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord . You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!’
Humbling Ourselves Under His Authority
Trusting God and then surrendering to God ultimately involves us humbling ourselves under his authority. It is really quite interesting how easily this step occurs once we realize who God is and who we are in relation to God. It is as if everything starts to fall into place like dominos placed in sequence. Once we see God for who he truly is, our grounds for argument seem to all but dry up as we gaze upon his goodness and love.
Believing in… His Goodness, His Plan, and His Will
Still, we must hold fast to God’s goodness and to God’s plan before we lose sight of who God really is and all God has done. It never ceases to amaze me in reading the Bible how quickly God’s people lost sight of who God is and what God had done for them. Regardless of the size of miracle, it was the people who intentionally remembered God, who were able to maintain a proper perspective. I do not believe that we stumble into this as much as I believe we intentionally draw near to God and God reveals himself to us. This seeing God for who God really is comes as a wonderful blessing of us seeking God.
Making Choices
As we continue to reflect on what it means to surrender, we must not give up the daily discipline of seeking God. Surrender is not a destination where we arrive, but a daily, minute-by-minute posturing of our heart. This posture can only come from a proper perspective of God. Know that this posture or perspective is chosen and not always felt. I do not always “feel like it,” but I consciously choose it. When I lose my perspective, I go back to the one who created me from dust. I ask God to show me what I have lost sight of. And God is faithful even when our thoughts or desires fail us.
