Thursday, July 6, 2023
What comes to mind when thinking of surrender? Be honest. Surrender has such a negative connotation in society. Often it’s construed as giving up to the enemy or acknowledging that you’re lesser than your opponent. Internally, it might feel like you are betraying or abandoning everything that you are.
But, our worldly views don’t always align with spiritual truth. This weekend, Lauren Snyder explored the feelings of a woman named Martha, who experienced emotions we can probably all relate to—weariness and woundedness. Martha did what many of us do when dealing with emotional storms. She lashed out verbally and missed that surrendering means letting go and handing ourselves over to God.
1 Peter 5:7
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
In John 11 we read that Martha was hurt (John 11:21) that her dear friend Jesus didn’t answer her call on the first ring (John 11:6). Her brother and Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, was suffering, and she had reached out to Jesus for help. Jesus had previously counseled Martha on holding on to things she couldn’t control (Luke 10:41-42). Whether the problem was small or significant, Martha tended to worry about the details. The message seems to have eventually reached Martha, who displayed strong silence in serving Jesus in a subsequent story.
John 12:1-2
1 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him.
Life is full of hardships, and trying to fix things is natural. We believe we can control every outcome because successfully navigating the small messes gives us confidence without faith. But what happens when we step into a big mess? We fight giving up to the enemy without surrendering spiritually, which prevents us from stepping out of our graveclothes to see that God’s love is a miracle.
Questions:
What stops you from surrendering? Are you tired of trying to control life?
Next Steps:
Give yourself to God by praying and studying the Bible. Find a Group to join. Join the DreamTeam to make a difference in your life and others.
Prayer:
God, surrendering can be difficult. Thank you for placing people in my life who were and are great examples of what it means to give everything over to you. The weight lifted from them in challenging times continues to inspire me and reminds me of how freeing your love is. Amen.
Series Theme Verse:
Ecclesiastes 9:17
Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person than the shouts of a foolish king.