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Start the Day with Surrender: A Prayer to Surrender

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Start the Day with Surrender: A Prayer to Surrender

Surrendering to God is an excellent way to start the day. Surrender is the opposite of self-effort. To surrender we have to stop resisting and submit to an authority other than ourselves. We can surrender to God’s authority because we can know and trust in God‘s character. The act of surrendering to God shows that we have confidence and hope that God has a greater purpose and plan in mind for us than what we could imagine for ourselves.

Previously, I shared some scriptures with examples of ways of surrendering to God. Today, I’d like to use those scriptures as a basis for a prayer to start the day with surrender.

Keeping Christ as Lord by trusting in and surrendering to him

As Christians, if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it’s important to remember the “Lord” part of our confession. As true followers of Christ, we must learn the act of submitting and surrendering to his lordship. This is difficult for a lot of us because we like to be in control and follow our own agenda. Even the word “surrender” brings up mental images of a white flag signaling giving up or losing. No one wants to feel like a loser. To surrender control can sometimes feel risky because we may fear that things won’t go the way we want them to.

However, it’s important for us to remember that with Jesus as our Lord, we can trust that he (and God the Father) has our very best interest in mind. They are the epitome of love. Even in the midst of pain and difficulty, God’s will, plan, and purposes for our lives will always be good and not to harm us (see John 10:10 and Jeremiah 29:11). Therefore, we can rest assured that when we say as Jesus did “Lord, not my will but your will be done,” the will of God that follows is completely out of love for us, for our good, and will lead us closer to Christ and his plan for our lives.

I love what Pastor Tony Evans says it in the book Divine Disruption: Holding on to Faith When Life Breaks Your Heart…

“You cannot surrender to someone you do not trust. Trust, enables surrender. You have to know and believe in the character of God, and his love and commitment for your best, trusting that he knows what he is doing, that he sees a far bigger picture than you can imagine.”[1]

Furthermore, Chrystal Evans Hurst, in the same book says that when we surrender we can actually make better progress in our lives…

“There are times you can’t make progress without trust…Progress, requires surrender. It involves one person allowing another to lead and show the way. Surrender invites humility and admits ‘I do not know.’ …Surrendering is admitting that God’s plan is better.”[2]

As true followers of Christ, we must learn the act of submitting and surrendering to his lordship.

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Surrender to a power source

I heard somebody once compare surrendering to God in the morning to plugging a device into a power source for the day. We don’t have to run on battery or on our own supply. We have a present, never-ending source. Through that source not only are we receiving power, but by surrendering to God we become a channel through which God’s power and love can flow out as well. When we surrender to God, he will help us and give us the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

John 15:1-17 describes a picture of branches staying attached to a vine wherein the sap in the vine gets dispersed giving nutrients and power to the branches, and the branches are then able to produce fruit. When we surrender control of our lives to God and abide in Christ, his life-giving and restorative power will be dispersed to us. We surrender (i.e. don’t cut ourselves off by trying to do things our own way) and stay connected to God in order to bear fruit in our lives.

Additionally, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit is our helper (John 14:26). Again, we don’t need to rely on self-effort and our own power supply. We have the power of God available to us through the help of the Holy Spirit empowering us.

Modeh Ani—Jewish waking prayer

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Scriptures About Surrendering to God

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Scriptures About Surrendering to God

As a Christian, I think one of the most challenging but most important things we can do is learn the act of surrendering to God, to His will, and to His ways. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, many people like to conveniently leave out the “Lord” part. We want the saving—we just don’t want to be told what to do or how to live by a master. We want to be our own “lord”. As true followers of Christ, we must learn the act of submitting and surrendering to his lordship. We can’t simultaneously follow Jesus and follow our own agenda.

Below are some scriptures with examples of ways of surrendering to God by doing things like abiding, submitting, humbling & denying ourselves, being still and waiting on God’s direction, obeying God’s will & word, recognizing the He’s God and we’re not, and using Jesus’ example of surrender. In this post, there are some example prayers of surrendering to God.

Scriptures About Surrendering to God

Surrendering by abiding

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:1-7 (ESV)

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 (ESV)

“And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5 (NLT)

Surrendering by submitting

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 (ESV)

“Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” Romans 6:13 (NLT)

Surrendering by humbling & denying yourself

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10 (NIV)

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” 1 Peter 5:6 (NLT)

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25 (ESV)

“And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34 (ESV)

“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 (ESV)

“So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) all that he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33 (AMPC)

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

Surrendering by being still (don’t act on your own—wait on God’s direction)

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Don’t Be a Know-It-All—Humble Yourself

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Don’t Be a Know-It-All—Humble Yourself

As a teacher, I’ve had my fill of know-it-alls in my classes. So many people give the impression that they have nothing new to learn or have no room for improvement. Many often want to share what they know and tell their personal stories, as if graciously imparting their own wisdom onto the teacher and listeners. They are the expert in their eyes. There’s a lack of humility, and most of the time they don’t even know it.

I was praying for a difficult student one time. She was a bit of a know-it-all, frequently interrupting me and others to share her own insight and stories. It often seemed like it didn’t even occur to her that she might need to learn what was being taught. I realized that some of the things she was doing were things of which I have also been guilty. Isn’t interesting how we can see some of our own flaws pointed out in others? (See Practical Step #2 in this post) As I was praying for God to humble her I realized that I too need to be humbled. Boy was that humbling! 😉

However, praying “Humble me” can be a dangerous prayer! It can potentially invite in embarrassment, looking bad in front of others, having our wrongs being made evident, or being put in our place. This can be especially hard if you’re a people pleaser or care to much about what people think about you. We might know that we need to be humbled but might not be quite ready to go through the humbling process just yet!

Don’t avoid the need to be humbled in order to be a people-pleaser

Even though the humbling process might be difficult or even embarrassing at times, we shouldn’t avoid asking God to humble us (or humbling ourselves) because of how it might make us look. Self-image should not be a determining factor nor should attempts to please others. Our aim should always be to please God, even if there’s a cost.

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 (ESV)

“It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the LORD, you are safe.” Proverbs 29:25 (GNT)

“For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.” John 12:43 (NLT)

“You like to receive praise from one another, but you do not try to win praise from the one who alone is God; how, then, can you believe me?” John 5:44 (CEV)

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Colossians 3:23 (NLT)

Don’t be a know-it-all!

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