FROM: Banbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
ABOUT ME: Living the highs and lows of life in the adventurous pursuit of God Himself and of who I'm meant to be as the Bride of Christ.
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Monday, September 19, 2005,8:46 p.m.
The Blessing of Surrender
Lately God has been speaking to me about many things that need adjusting in my life - some even little detailed things, like how I manage my work schedule and whether I ask His guidance on everything that I do. Or better yet, whether I ask Him first what He would want me to do.
Acting upon these things that He requests is sometimes hard - it involves risk and courage and discipline. But when we begin to do this, there is such a peace!! Not necessarily that there will be no fallout - that's always a possibility - but rather that you're doing what God asked, so regardless of the outcome, you know that you're in His good books. That's a pretty solid feeling. Frankly, I would rather be in God's good books than be beloved my whole congregation (and that's saying a lot, because a group that big can offer some serious hurts, especially when you really love them). But I'm sensing these days that those two things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, God has my congregation's health as one of His primary goals, so when I follow His leadership for my leadership, I can't really see how that can go far wrong.
Surrender is a key factor to living a life of worship - if we say we trust Him, if we say He is all-powerful, but offer Him no surrender, we are simply offering lip service and not true worship. For me, surrendering the making of little decisions through my everyday life is something I regularly forget to do (or never quite mastered, one or the other) - but every once in a while when I start to 'get it,' I see the abundance of the blessing of surrender.
It is peace, and it is beautiful.
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Saviour.
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
(Psalm 27:4-5, 8-9, 13-14)
Acting upon these things that He requests is sometimes hard - it involves risk and courage and discipline. But when we begin to do this, there is such a peace!! Not necessarily that there will be no fallout - that's always a possibility - but rather that you're doing what God asked, so regardless of the outcome, you know that you're in His good books. That's a pretty solid feeling. Frankly, I would rather be in God's good books than be beloved my whole congregation (and that's saying a lot, because a group that big can offer some serious hurts, especially when you really love them). But I'm sensing these days that those two things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, God has my congregation's health as one of His primary goals, so when I follow His leadership for my leadership, I can't really see how that can go far wrong.
Surrender is a key factor to living a life of worship - if we say we trust Him, if we say He is all-powerful, but offer Him no surrender, we are simply offering lip service and not true worship. For me, surrendering the making of little decisions through my everyday life is something I regularly forget to do (or never quite mastered, one or the other) - but every once in a while when I start to 'get it,' I see the abundance of the blessing of surrender.
It is peace, and it is beautiful.
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Saviour.
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
(Psalm 27:4-5, 8-9, 13-14)
