Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:5-15
“Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”–Matthew 6:10
Perhaps one of the most difficult hymns to sing isn’t a matter of the melody or key, but the words, “I Surrender All.” The lyrics declare we surrender or submit our lives to God freely and totally. The hymn proclaims we relinquish the most cherished yet debilitating aspects of our humanity, our will. “I Surrender All” attests to our submission to God’s absolute lordship.
Scripturally, we find agreement with “I Surrender All” in today’s passage and the model prayer, “Your will be done.” Sometimes it’s easier to say those words than to live them. Those words say we submit to God’s full authority over every aspect of our lives. “Your will be done” in my finances and my relationships; in my job and my health; in my house of worship and my home. It’s giving up our plans and insistence to have things our way.
Surrender relinquishes our plans, dreams and desires, and accepts what God ordains could be the very opposite of what we want, even pray for in our lives. It’s trusting and acknowledging that ultimately, God’s plans are infinitely superior to ours. Submission acknowledges the sovereignty of God and returns to God what was never ours; ourselves.
This act of surrender is without the negative connotation we associate with the word. Surrender isn’t a sign of weakness when it’s surrendering to God. Nor is it a reluctant act done because we have no other choice. Instead, it’s standing in agreement with The Almighty’s divine purpose for our lives and this world, even when we don’t know or understand that plan. Surrender attests to our love, obedience and faith in God. It’s choosing to trust the sufficiency of God over the inadequacies of our humanity.
What do I need to surrender to God today?
Lesson To Remember: It’s wiser to live in submission and surrender to God than to live in freedom and independence on our own.
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”–John 6:38
