Surrender it to The Lord

The Weight We Carry

Do you ever feel like you’re holding on for dear life? Like you opened your eyes to realize you’re gripping a bucking bronco, praying you don’t get launched into the abyss? Like if you let go - of control, of timing, of outcomes, everything might fall apart? Yeah, me too. As a recovering [obsessive] entrepreneur, I spent the majority of the last six years living in the delusion that I was in control over the outcome of my business ventures. “If it is to be, it’s up to me” was the motto for many years. This was a heavy burden to bear, and 95% of the time, I chose to bear it alone. The other 5%? Well, that’s where the ‘magic’ happened. 

For many years I have looked up to John Eldredge and consumed much of his content. He is a big proponent of surrendering your circumstances to the Lord, so I am no stranger to the concept of surrender. 

Here’s the typical “holy loop” I would engage with a few times per week:

Listen to an hour podcast about surrender.

Get convicted.

Surrender my circumstances, my business, my outcomes.

[45 minutes later]

Go right back to convincing myself the success of this business is up to me and my efforts.

It’s hard to surrender. Especially when the thing you’re surrendering is something that matters deeply to you. But loving something deeply gives you all the more reason to surrender it to the Lord. 

Surrender isn’t giving up. It’s loosening your grip, and handing it over. Trusting that God can do more with your open hands than you could ever do with clenched fists.

The Call to Surrender

Surrender? What, just give up? Lay down, hang up the cleats, stop working towards my goals? “Yeah, good luck stopping this freight train from getting to the next station…”

Sound familiar? It sure sounds familiar to me. 

But man I’m grateful to serve a good God that draws us back to Him in his perfect timing. A God that tests us, that gives us way more chances than we deserve. A God that saves us from our own folly. 

Throughout His word, God gives us permission to cast our burdens on Him. God tells us to place our trust in Him and lean on Him to sustain us. He offers us a way out of the mess that we’re currently stuck in… and oh it’s pretty easy. All you have to do is seek, ask, pray - just start the conversation. The price has already been paid. God paid it all when He sent Jesus to die for our sins. 

Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV) 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 55:22 (NIV) 22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

Matthew 10:28-30 (NIV) 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

I don’t know about you, but I would much rather put my faith into the all-powerful, omniscient creator of the universe than myself. Your will God, not mine.

Why It’s So Hard to Let Go?

For all my ‘Type-A’ readers out there, you get it. Surrendering is hard. Giving up control is hard. Whether it’s comfort, fear, out of habit, or engrained in us from childhood, the desire to be in control of our outcome is a normal part of our wiring as humans. God gives us the free will to choose control, but He also gives us the option to give that control over to Him. 

That’s not to say just dropping all of our responsibilities and letting God do life on our behalf. But instead, it means trusting God to guide our steps and walking in accordance with His guidance. Asking God for guidance, listening for an answer, and then acting on that answer. 

And real talk… Sometimes there isn’t an answer. You ask, and silence is all you get in return. That doesn’t mean He doesn’t care, it just means He’s not ready to intercede yet. Maintain the course, keep a posture of surrender, and watch the Lord bless your steps.

Surrender is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but it’s on the best decisions I’ve ever made.

In a culture that tells us to take charge, being a Christian who surrenders is the most rebellious act of faith there is.

What Happens When You Do Surrender

Surrendering is not about getting your way, or an immediate answer. It’s about offering an invitation. Inviting God to come work in your circumstances - whatever they may be. Asking God to work for your benefit and His glory. 

We serve a wonderful heavenly Father, who loves His children. The innate desire in a father is to provide and protect his children. How more does our perfect, heavenly Father want to do this for His children? All we have to do is ask, seek, invite Him in. 

I can say from firsthand experience, anxiety loses its grip, peace replaces pressure, and God meets us in surrender. He delivers for His children. And just to be clear, delivering does not always mean getting our way. Sometimes it means getting God’s way which may feel wrong, but always ends up right.

Call to Action / Reflection

I want to wrap things up by asking you a few questions to reflect on. 

What’s the thing you’re still holding onto?

What burdens are weighing you down? How good would it feel to not have to carry that burden alone?

God’s not asking that you stop caring - He’s inviting you to stop carrying it alone.

Real rebellion isn’t fighting for control. It’s trusting the One who’s already won.