“True surrender to God requires letting go of our own will and embracing His, trusting that His plan is better than ours. We need to trust Him more than we trust ourselves.”
Surrender is not a word we usually like. It feels like weakness, failure, or defeat. From childhood, we are taught to be strong, to stand our ground, and to fight for what we want. But the way of Jesus turns the world’s wisdom upside down. In God’s kingdom, surrender is not defeat—it’s freedom.
When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He faced the most difficult test of surrender anyone could imagine. He knew the cross was before Him, and He wrestled with the cost: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will”(Matthew 26:39). In that moment, Jesus modeled what true surrender looks like—laying down His own will in order to fully embrace the Father’s.
That’s the challenge we all face. We might not be staring at a cross, but we all carry desires, plans, and preferences that we cling to tightly. We tell ourselves we trust God, but when His direction cuts across our own, do we resist or release?
Why Letting Go Feels So Hard
The truth is, we tend to trust ourselves more than God. We think we know what’s best for our future, our families, our careers, our finances. We lean on our understanding because it feels safer and more familiar. Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us otherwise: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Letting go is hard because it requires faith. It requires admitting that our perspective is limited and that God sees what we cannot. Faith asks us to believe that His plan is not only bigger than ours but also better.
What Happens When We Trust Him More
When we surrender, we discover the peace that comes from knowing we are not in control. The burden of carrying the future lifts because it is safe in God’s hands. This doesn’t mean life will be easy. Jesus’ surrender led Him to the cross. But it also led to resurrection, victory, and eternal hope.
The same is true for us. God’s plan may lead us through valleys, but He will always lead us toward life. Surrender doesn’t guarantee comfort—it guarantees His presence and His purpose. And in the end, that is far greater than anything we could arrange on our own.
Living Out Surrender Daily
Surrender is not just a one-time decision; it’s a daily posture. Here are three ways we can practice trusting God more than ourselves:
- Pray honestly. Bring your desires, fears, and plans before God. Then echo Jesus’ words: “Not my will, but Yours be done.”
- Obey quickly. When you sense God leading you through His Word or His Spirit, don’t delay. Obedience is where trust becomes real.
- Release outcomes. We can do what God asks of us, but the results belong to Him. True surrender means letting Him define success.
The Invitation
Surrender is not about giving up on life; it’s about giving our lives to the One who gave His life for us. It’s about trading the illusion of control for the reality of God’s care.
The question we each need to ask is this: Do I trust God more than I trust myself?
When we can answer “yes,” not just with our lips but with our lives, we step into the freedom and peace that only surrender can bring.
