Surrender is the Beginning

Have you ever considered how much we live in a society that is afraid to relinquish control? We want things our way, and we do not want anyone getting in our way. We want to be in control of our jobs, our futures, and our finances. People are even too timid to give up their time for service opportunities. The same is true for our relationship with God.

We don’t want to give up control. Why?

Giving up control to a God who is not physically present before us right now is something we cannot fully comprehend. Why would we tell someone they are in charge of our lives if we cannot see them? That sounds ridiculous!

Could it be that surrendering is just the beginning of something greater?

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV) says:

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Surrendering is a step of faith and trust. It is a weight off our shoulders because we were never meant to carry everything on our own. It places the weight onto God, the only One who can handle it. Surrendering in faith and trust to God is a step towards a greater plan, something far beyond what we could have imagined.

Matthew, one of Jesus’s disciples, took a step of faith when Jesus instructed Matthew to get up and follow Him (Matthew 9:9). Who was Matthew?

Matthew was a former tax collector. He was doing well financially, but he was hated by many. Tax collectors were cheaters and thieves. People in Israel often hated tax collectors because they worked for the Roman government. They exploited people's finances and lives. But this did not stop Jesus’s plans for Matthew.

Matthew introduces himself in his writings. Matthew 9:9 says, “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”

Matthew was sitting in the familiarity: his tax collector’s booth. What familiarity are you sitting in? Is it a job? Is it a city? Is it a relationship? What is the familiar setting in your life that is not giving you peace, and you sense God is calling you away from?

Jesus did not say, “Hello,” or ask Matthew how he was doing. Jesus did not approach Matthew and engage in a conversation. Instead, Jesus looked at Matthew and said, “Follow me.” When Jesus does this to us, we often begin to ask questions. “Jesus, are you sure?” “Jesus, am I really to follow you?” We make excuses and tell Jesus that we will follow Him later, or we don’t have the time or energy. We crawl back to our familiarity: our tax booths.

What did Matthew do?

Matthew did not ask questions. Matthew did not finish what he was doing. Matthew did not tell Jesus that he would follow Him later. Matthew writes that he got up and followed Jesus. He could have stayed in the familiar. He had financial security, and probably a lovely house and clothes. Why would Matthew leave what was comfortable?

Probably because he knew something inside of him had changed. Matthew did not hesitate. Matthew sensed that surrendering is the beginning of something greater.

Has God called you to leave the familiarity? Has God given you a calling that you are afraid to pursue because it does not make sense? While surrendering to Jesus is the beginning of something better, it can still seem uncertain. Matthew did not know where he was going or what was about to happen to him. Jesus did not give him any details. Jesus told Matthew to take a step of faith.

Matthew’s calling reminds us that while we may not have the details we need before answering Jesus’s call, we can still surrender to Him in faith. Matthew’s true calling began that day. Matthew’s past was behind him as he submitted to the plans that Jesus soon revealed to him. What followed was years of amazement and learning. Matthew sat under the feet of Jesus, walked with Him, learned from Him, and was commissioned by Him.

Surrendering to Jesus can lead to uncertainty, but it can also lead to a greater passion and devotion to Jesus when we relinquish control in faith. Surrendering to Jesus is the beginning of something that has not been revealed. Surrendering is the beginning of walking in faith with Jesus.

For some, surrendering today looks like giving your life to Jesus. It appears that confessing to God that you repent of your sins and surrender to Him, trusting in Him through faith, to be Lord of your life.

For others, surrendering today looks like leaving your comfort zone and what is familiar. It looks like taking a step of faith when you are afraid.

Wherever you are, surrendering is the beginning of a greater purpose for your life.