Surrendering Your Will

Luke 22:41–42

THE PSALMIST WAS CORRECT: the heavens do indeed proclaim the glory of God. The skies do indeed display his craftsmanship (see Psalm 19:1). And when you mix that unfathomable fact with the incredible reality that He cares for each one of us right down to the last, tiniest detail, the psalmist is, again, correct: “such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand” (Psalm 139:6).

I find His incomprehensibility absolutely refreshing, especially in a day like ours where managerial moguls prance like peacocks and deified athletes strut their stuff. At a time when one-upmanship and human intimidation have become an art form, it is delightful to be reminded anew that “Our God is in the heavens” and that “he does as he wishes” (Psalm 115:3). He doesn’t ask permission. He doesn’t bother to explain. He doesn’t feel the need to say, “May I?” or “Please.” He just “does as he wishes,” thank you. After all, He is the Lord . . . the Maker of heaven and earth, the Alpha and the Omega, the sovereign God of all the universe, and the Master of my life.

We need that reminder, we who are tempted to think we’re capable of calling the shots. We need to be brought down to size, we who feel we’ve got a corner on our own destiny. How many times does our incomprehensible God need to tell us “My ways are past finding out” before we begin to believe it? How often must He prove to us that He is the Shepherd and we are the sheep before we bow and quietly whisper, “Have Thine own way, Lord”? The appropriate response to all His goodness: surrender.

He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

LUKE 22:41–42

What will it take to bring you to that point of surrender? It’s time to stop resisting His plan. Lean into Him. Surrender your will, and make His will yours. The peace will come . . . in time.