Surrendering to our Savior

Surrendering is usually not something that comes naturally to us humans. We want to be in control and stay in control, directing our lives by doing what we think is best or what “feels good” to us. However, God desires us to surrender to Him. No matter how hard it seems, surrendering to God is actually better for us, rather than trying to stay in control of our own lives—which often leads to us not having much control at all. 

What is surrender? What does it practically look like to surrender to God? Does surrendering to God only happen when we receive salvation, or is it something we do daily? We find answers to these questions and more when we search the Word of God. James 4:7 (NKJV) says, “Therefore submit to God.” That word “submit” in the original Greek language that the New Testament was written in, generally means “to obey; to yield to one’s advice; to submit to one’s control.” Thus, surrender (synonymous to submit), indicates us obeying God and giving up our own control so that we are now under His control. This does not mean we become robots when we surrender to God, with Him controlling our every move. No, we still choose our own actions, but because we trust Him and want to please Him, our actions become more and more aligned with His way, His truth, and His desires. John 15:4-5 (NIV) gives us a great illustration of what it looks like to surrender to God: “‘Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.’” These verses tell us that when we surrender and give our whole selves to God—dwelling in Him, living every moment in Him, following His ways and living His truth—only then can we bear any fruit and be productive with the things that truly make a difference. 

Going deeper, we look at first Corinthians 6:19 (NIV), which tells us “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” When we receive salvation, God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, comes to live within us, and our bodies become a dwelling place for Him, a temple. This is why the passage goes on to say in verse 20, “Therefore honor God with your bodies.” Surrendering to God is realizing that He knows what is best for us and His commands are for our own good, so we follow what His Word says—not out of obligation because we just “have to,” but out of love for Him, as 1 John 5:3 says. This verse even mentions “His commands are not burdensome” (NIV). Romans 6:13 (NLT) reiterates with, “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.”

Surrender is not only obeying God, but also letting go of our worries, troubles, valleys and mountaintops, and laying them all down at His feet. God wants the whole of our hearts, the whole of our lives: the good, the bad, and everything in between. The wins are not ours to begin with, since victory and success come from God alone, as seen in 1 Corinthians 15:57 and James 1:17, so we must maintain a humble heart posture of surrender in our highs. And in our valleys, truly the only way to survive is surrendering to God. Psalm 55:22 (AMP) says, “Cast your burden on the LORD [release it] and He will sustain and uphold you.” This takes multiple, daily surrenders to God—letting go of our burdens and worries, laying them down at His feet, releasing them unto Him, and learning to not snatch them back into our hands, but leave them there at His feet. Sometimes you just have to take it moment by moment, breath by breath, surrender by surrender. He is the safest place to let go of control, the sins, the burdens, and once we do, we find ourselves filled with His deep joy and unexplainable peace. 

Luke 9:23 (NLT) says, “Then He [Jesus] said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.’” In essence, surrendering to God means daily choosing what He knows is best for us rather than what we think is best for our lives. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) reminds us, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” We might have heard these verses over and over again, but they still remain true. Trusting God is ultimately how we surrender to Him, and when we lean on Him rather than rely on ourselves, He directs our lives in the way that is best for us. 

Ultimately, surrender is trusting God in every aspect of our lives, and trust means utterly and completely relying upon Him. He gives the whole of Himself to us, so the least we can do is give the whole of ourselves to Him—surrender. And even when it doesn’t make sense, surrendering to God is exponentially better than walking through this life on our own. 

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