Total Surrender
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We like to be in control. In many ways, it makes sense. We were created with the power to choose therefore we can decide what we want to do, who we want to marry, where we want to work, and so on. The freedom to choose is a gift from God and was given for a purpose. Elisabeth Elliot, in her book Joyful Surrender: 7 Disciplines for the Believer’s Life, expressed just how gracious our God is to give us free will.
“What a gift of amazing grace-that the One who made me allows me to deny His existence! God created me with the power to disobey, for the freedom to obey would be nothing at all without the corresponding freedom to disobey.”
God created us for relationship, for fellowship. He wants to know us and us to know Him, trust Him, and follow Him. He wants us to respond to Him, without forcing our will.
If God had not given us the power to choose, we would be no more than mindless robots in service to our Creator.
From infancy, we struggle with how to rightly use our freedom because we assume it’s all for us. Babies cry when they don’t get what they want at their expected time. Toddlers have tantrums when they are met with boundaries that spoil their mischievous plans. Teens rebel in protest to their parents’ wise judgement. As adults, we avoid accountability that will make us responsible for our actions.
So how, then, do we use the gift of freedom rightly? If it feels more natural to obey our own desires over God’s, what can we do to change that?
Surrender. Total surrender.
Surrender is one of those words that just feels strong when said. We know without looking it up that it’s serious business, but to help us all have a better understanding, I did a quick Google search of the word.
1) Cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority.
2) (in a sports contest) lose (a point, game, or advantage)
3) Abandon oneself entirely to (a powerful emotion or influence); give in to.
When you read the words in bold, what was your first thought or feeling? If you found them hard to say or accept, please know even the most devout Christian battles at various points in their lifetime with lining up their desires, plans, and lives with God’s will. I used the word battle intentionally because part of living on this Earth will be engaging in the daily fight of aligning our will with the will of God.
A Word to the Skeptic
Perhaps you have read up to this point and don’t identify with the idea of God or the word Christian. Maybe you don’t subscribe to a religious belief or higher power and therefore feel that none of this applies to you. You have a point. No one is going to willfully surrender everything to someone they don’t know or trust.
If we were all honest though, we’ve all been drawn to consider that there must be more to life than us. When we look at the world around us and see how intricate the details of creation are, when we ponder the boundary of ocean waves crashing only up to a certain point against the shore or the complexity of the human body, we become curious to know, how? Someone made all of this because it’s too complex to have just “appeared”. There is something greater at work beyond our human ability.
“They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1: 19-20
Why Do We Struggle?
As mentioned earlier, God wants a relationship with us. It’s the whole reason He created us in His image. Genesis 2 points to his intent for creating us. He designed the intricate details of the world for us to enjoy and be fruitful and gave us the authority to cultivate and have dominion over it. As we tend to the good work He’s given us with joy, we bring Him glory. You will also see in Genesis 2 that God gave us boundaries not to be harsh, but to protect us. When you move ahead to Genesis 3, you will see how our struggle with boundaries plays out.
Since Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve allowed Satan to deceive them into sinning against God, humanity has struggled with the desire to be in control, to call the shots, and to live boundless which seems fulfilling but is more like a cup full of air: there’s no substance. Surrender is so hard for us because it feels natural to act according to our will, not God’s. You may ask, if we are born with this desire, then how are we supposed to win this battle?
Obedience to God = Freedom
“I can answer no or I can answer yes. My fulfillment as a human being depends on my answer, for it is a loving Lord who calls me through the world’s fog to His island of peace. If I trust Him, I will obey Him gladly.” -Elisabeth Elliot, Joyful Surrender: 7 Disciplines for the Believer’s Life
God is not a harsh tyrant, and He can’t be compared with human authority. God is aware of our humanity. He knows what we’re up against. It was never His plan to put the full responsibility on us to fix our sin problem. He knows we are not able to overcome it without help. This is why we need Jesus. Jesus who remained sinless (2 Thessalonians 2:22-24) came to reconcile us back to God and restore the broken fellowship sin caused. He wants us to see that His original plan for all creation was for our good and His glory.
It may seem hard to grasp right now, but the more you read God’s word (Bible), the more you will know Him. And in knowing Him, you will grow in trusting Him. You will then begin to understand just how good He is. And as you think of that goodness considering your sin, you will respond with obedience.
When we don’t see God as good and trustworthy, we will exhaust ourselves with every effort to control our lives, to control outcomes, and to avoid difficulty. Total surrender is laying down our efforts to have a “good” life without God and confessing that we indeed need a Savior. Confession, along with repentance and belief (Romans 10:9-10) begins our journey of placing the control in God’s hands. Tired of running? Tired of toiling? Searching to no avail? Jesus invites you to come.
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30
