“And Jesus gave a loud cry and said, ‘Father, into your hands I give my spirit:’ and when he had said this, he gave up his spirit.” – Luke 23:46 BBE
When Jesus realized the time had come for Him to die, He prayed. He had prayed for God to accomplish salvation another way because He didn’t want to die. Jesus was willing to do God’s will. But He wanted to do it His way. However, God wanted Him to give it up. He wanted Jesus to trust Him with everything, even His life. Finally, Jesus surrendered His will to God and said, “Okay, I will do it Your way.”
Are you trying to accomplish something but want to do it your way? Do you keep asking God to deliver you from the same thing repeatedly? Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God wants you to accomplish your dreams; He wants to deliver you. But did it ever occur to you to surrender your will to God because He wants to do it His way? This surrender brings a sense of relief and peace, knowing that you are in His hands.
Surrender
We all have had habits that we have tried to conquer. We even tried putting them to death. I can’t remember how many times I said, “I quit smoking cigarettes.” I thought I was killing my habit when I threw my cigarettes in the garbage, only to realize I could not kill it. The only way I could stop smoking cigarettes was to surrender my cigarettes to God. This surrender brought me a sense of freedom and empowerment, knowing that I was no longer a slave to my habit.
What do you do when you surrender to God’s will only to discover that you are on a cross? What do you do when you realize that you are suspended in limbo? You want to go up, but you are afraid of falling. You want to quit drinking, but you are suspended on the cross of freedom from alcohol and the pain of withdrawal. Everybody knows how it feels to want more while being afraid of the responsibility that comes with having more. What do you do when you are stuck between right and wrong, reaching up and falling down?
When I read accounts of the way Jesus died, He didn’t just die. Jesus put His life in the hands of His Father. In other words, He surrendered. Jesus didn’t try to hold on to His life. He gave it up. Are you trying to break an old habit or change something in your life? Are you holding on to something that you know you should let go? Don’t keep torturing yourself. Give it to the Lord and trust Him with your life; He will make it right. Trusting in God’s plan brings a sense of security and confidence, knowing that He is in control.
