THE PRESSURES OFF: SURRENDER

February 19, 2025



Psalms 131:1-3

1My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. 2But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. 3Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.



2 Corinthians 12:9-10

9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.



MATTHEW 10:39

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”




We often resist this idea of surrender don’t’ we? Surrender in our culture means defeat, giving up, losing. However, the Bible's call to surrender to God brings victory and success.


When we cease pursuing our own self interests and the following of cultural (worldly) norms, we are promised eternal treasures that will never be taken away from us. God’s plans for us are infinitely better than anything we could plan and make happen on our own. Surrender to God's purposes is truly life changing.


Surrendering our lives completely to God releases us from the pressures imposed on us by the world. When the pressures off, and we see that our life is meant for more, than the endless pursuit of "treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal", which are all so temporary, that is how Jesus described it. Then the beautiful outcome of surrender to God is that we will experience the full meaning of Jesus words, "whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Life has meaning, purpose, and liberty.


When we let God be God, and surrender to the fullness of God's plan and promises for us in Jesus, we experience that God's "grace is sufficient for you (Us), that God's power is made perfect in weakness", and with God's sufficient grace and power we live our lives in freedom, and we "hope in the Lord both now and forevermore."

What I am reminded of in today's scriptures is that we have the opportunity every day to lay our lives down at the feet of Jesus in response to his great love and the "this is sure to be" promise of abundant life. May our lives be completely wrapped up in the goodness, grace and power of our loving Savior.

A PRAYER OF SURRENDER

God,

You give me the strength I need to overcome the obstacles I face. You take away my arrogant thoughts and You focus my eyes away from the things I cannot control. You alone have the power to turn my weaknesses into windows through which Your glory can shine through.

You hold my future, and You invite me to take part in the plans You have for Your Kingdom. So help me to lay down my uncertainties for the future and my unmet expectations from the past.

When I feel weak, help me to remember that You are strong. When I feel discouraged, remind me of the confident hope I have in You. Please calm and quiet my soul.

Today and every day, give me the confident assurance I need to lay aside anything that might hinder me, so that I can walk in a manner worthy of my calling. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen.


Up for a challenge?

Re-read this prayer and then make a list of the areas in your life that you need to surrender. 

Then Picture putting those things in a box and then visualize handing that box to Jesus. Use this exercise to make space in your heart for the plans that God wants to reveal to you.