TODAY is the 5th anniversary of the release of my Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus Bible study! This Bible study was released on April 7, 2020, only three weeks into the pandemic.
I still marvel at God’s timing in the release of this Bible study on letting go of control at a time when our world was spinning out of control. Since the release of Surrendered, I hear from women almost weekly about how God used this Bible study about Jesus’ faith in the wilderness and the Israelites’ failures in the wilderness to bless them in powerful ways.
The key idea of the Surrendered Bible study is Surrender is our only path to Jesus’ peace.
In today’s Happy Monday, I invite you to join me in remembering why surrender is such a powerful weapon and six Surrender Principles to help you experience peace today! If you’re wrestling with a problem and it’s stressing you out, today’s devotion is for you.
Even though I’ve learned to embrace the blessings of surrender, I still hear the little voice in my mind that tempts me to try to fix situations or people based on what I think is best instead of trusting God. We can’t control our way into better relationships with friends or family. Likewise, receiving God’s peace and help is challenging when you’re trying to do everything for everybody.
Jesus is our example of how to surrender when life is hard.
In Matthew 26, Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane, praying and waiting to be arrested and taken away to be crucified. In verse 39, Jesus cries out to God under a great deal of stress and strain:
He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” -Matthew 26:39 NLT
Notice the little details in this verse. Jesus bowed his face to the ground. This denotes a deep concentration and focus on prayer. As Jesus cries out, his prayer is: God, save me so I don’t have to face this!
My Surrendered Bible study is a 6-week study about letting go and finding God’s peace in wilderness seasons. There’s a participant guide, but also, teaching videos are available for purchase if you’d like to experience the study in a group. The first lesson is a promotional video that you can watch here for free – especially if you’ve be wrestling with letting go. Click here to watch.
Did you know that Jesus prayed that prayer three times? Check it out in Matthew 26:39-42. If Jesus had to fight to surrender by praying multiple times, you may also need to. So, you can stop beating yourself up if letting go has been a struggle. Keep taking steps, and you’ll get there!
Note: Since we know God can do all things, go ahead and ask God to fix, heal, change, restore, or save. He can! But don’t stop your prayers there.
What does Jesus do next? After he asks God to shift his circumstances, Jesus surrenders to God’s ultimate plan. I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Whew, that’s hard to pray. We want to pray, “God do whatever you want or need to do,” but at the same time, most of us want God to do what we’re praying Him to do, right?
Jesus surrendered because he trusted God.
Jesus knew that God was good.
Jesus knew that God had a plan.
Jesus knew God was faithful.
Jesus trusted God loved him.
And we can surrender when we believe these things about God, too.
Last week. I visited the TuesdayLIVE ladies Bible study group at Harvest UMC in Florida for week four of the Surrendered Bible Study. They have about 100 ladies who attend at the church and a group of women who join the group via Zoom. So much fun!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO RELEASE TO GOD TODAY?
In the Surrendered study, the opening prayer each day gives ladies a chance to take a step of surrender. I want to provide you with that chance, too. Here’s the prayer for you today: God, I choose to surrender ________________ to you today.
Once we choose to surrender, then we must live out the surrendered life. Years ago, God gave me a set of six Surrender principles, or short sticky statements that help me stick to surrender. It’s easy for me to drift. If you can relate, then I hope these principles resonate with you. Skim through them and then choose one to focus for today.
EXHALE…GOD’S GOT IT!
I don’t know what you’re facing today, but I pray that Jesus’ example of surrender encourages your heart. Like Jesus, you can trust that God is good. You can trust that God is faithful and that He loves you, even though you may not know the outcome of your prayers.
I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU:
Drop a comment and let me know what do you need to let go of today? Which Surrendered Principle resonates with you right now?
