While studying about the word “surrender” I ran across Psalm 9:9-10 NIV —
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Now look at the same scripture from The Message — God’s a safe-house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times. The moment you arrive, you relax; you’re never sorry you knocked.

WOW! Trust=Relax! What an aha moment for me! When you and I are able to surrender and trust God we are able to relax. So what takes us so long to get to the point of surrender? One definition of surrender is “to abandon oneself entirely to; give in to.” Therein lies our issue. We do not like to abandon ourselves, our ideas, and our control. Yet if we would surrender, we would be able to relax. Letting go of control and allowing God to lead is a form of water walking. Are you willing to surrender, relax, and walk on water with God as your guide?

Let’s pray. Dear God, help me to let go of control and surrender to you. Show me how to relax in the shelter of Your safe-house. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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Matthew 16:24 NIV — Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

In the summer of 2019, my family went on an adventurous trip to Washington, DC. Traveling in such busy traffic was eye opening to me. First of all, I realized how thankful I am to live where I live. Secondly, I was thankful that I was not driving.

Perhaps my most important discovery is that I realized that when we are traveling in such bad traffic it is best for me to not look where we are going. I say this because the traffic causes me to be a nervous wreck and to constantly tell Clark how he should be driving, which he doesn’t appreciate for some reason. So instead of looking where we are going I read a book and occasionally dozed off to sleep. One time as I closed my eyes I realized that by doing so I was surrendering my will to control. I was completely trusting that Clark knew where to go and that he would get us there safely, along with the help of the GPS of course. I was able to rest peacefully. This reminded me that this is how we should be when it comes to our lives. Every day we are going full steam ahead, rolling down the interstates of life. Every day we run into traffic that slows us up or causes us stress. Being the humans that we are we try to decide which way we should go and how we should get there. However what we should do is surrender the steering wheel and allow God to drive.

What area of your life are you hanging on to control? What do you need to surrender to God so you can relax?

Let’s pray. Dear God, forgive me for times I insist on being in control. May I surrender and allow You to be the driver of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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Matthew 16:24 NIV — Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Psalm 9:9-10 NIV — The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:9-10 MSG — God’s a safe-house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times. The moment you arrive, you relax; you’re never sorry you knocked.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV — Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Matthew 6:33 NIV — But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

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Spend some time worshiping by listening to the following songs about surrendering.

Run To the Father by Cody Carnes

I Surrender by Hillsong featuring Lauren Daigle

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Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

‭‭Remember to F.R.O.G.

Fully

Rely

On

God

Join us for See You Saturday as we wrap our week at the river.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73‬:‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

We all have a purpose here on Earth. Over the years that purpose will change and evolve. As we navigate through life, we often learn to be dependent on God through our failures. Let’s face it, we’re human. The Psalmist tells us that even though our flesh and heart may fail, we can still be dependent on God. This is an eternal promise, no matter our shortcomings. Through it all, God is greater. Jon Gordon wrote, “your  trust is greater than your doubt. Your faith is greater than your fear and your purpose is greater than your challenges.”

It is OK to be dependent on God. We were created to be in a relationship with Him. God also created palm trees. They are stronger than most trees because they are flexible. They can withstand hurricane-force winds as they often bend but do not break. They symbolize strength, hope, faith, resilience, victory, peace, and tranquility. The next time your faith is tested or fear is knocking at your door, remember that God created both the palm trees and His children. 

What purpose is God calling you toward today? We read in ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭11‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬ — Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

You don’t have to watch this life go by. You can move forward in faith, knowing that God can conquer all fears, through His dependable strength. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for creating me to be in a relationship with You. Help me to keep You and my purpose in focus and not my failures and fears. I will choose to be victorious today with Your strength. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Let’s take a moment to think about how the disciples got in the middle of this storm in the first place. They got in the boat with Jesus. They made the choice to retreat with Jesus. In this life we are not promised peace and comfort, however, we are promised to never be alone. Even in the times when we step out of the boat to walk on water, Jesus is with us. Even when we fall out of the boat into worldly things, Jesus is with us. Even when we choose not to depend on Him, Jesus is with us.

We have all been called to follow Jesus and get into the boat. Isaiah tells us we have been summoned by name. I would like to think if it was an audible voice I would hear my Heavenly Father say, “my daughter, Julie.” We may not always understand the storms we are called to walk through. We can trust that God created us for such a time as this. This trust includes our actions and reactions. When God created us, He knew what we would be dealing with today. This includes the current state of our church and the world we live in.

Recently at our church’s Vacation Bible School, we learned that we can trust God to always go with us. Think about how often we don’t want to go places alone. That day in the boat, the disciples weren’t alone. Jesus was with them. Who did they turn to when they got scared? They turned to Jesus. 

Let’s pray. Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for summoning me by name. I desire to get in the boat with You. Help me to take time to retreat with you. I desire to be dependent on You throughout my day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.