Surrender is a word that normally symbolizes defeat, but this is not always true. We all have times when it seems we cannot take one more disappointment, one more heartache, one more rejection. It is in those times that surrender to God can bring peace and allow us to move forward in faith. 

 

 

2MefromHim Devotional

Surrender

The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me.

Job 30:27

“I’m sorry. I  have nothing else to offer.” The third doctor in a week to cut me loose and suggest that someone else might be able to offer help left me in the pits of discouragement and frustration.

Have you been there? That place where all options seem to have been used up, there seems to be nowhere else to go? Those who suffer from chronic pain and illness know the drill all too well. For some, it may be cancer, heart problems, depression, a sick child, or that final realization that a marriage will never recover.

In those times of seeming abandonment, God sometimes feels very distant, His voice inaudible, His hope unattainable—we reach the bottom of a miry pit with no one at the top offering a hand up. Job felt that way, so did Jeremiah, David, and countless others through the ages. In times of doubt, I sometimes need someone “with skin on”. When human comfort deserts me, I turn to God, no matter how distant He feels. Jesus suffered too. He knew the anguish of facing a trial He dreaded and He cried out as I do, sweating drops of blood in anguish.

If you are struggling now, know that I understand. I have been there. I am there once again—tears streaming, hope fading, the uncertainty of what lies ahead are companions I know too well. Sometimes in the midst of trials, God whispers His words of comfort. God’s greatest works in our lives often require surrender of things we hold dear, control over circumstances, acceptance that a cure is not forthcoming, the willingness to allow a loved one go their own way.

In such times, I take comfort in knowing that Jesus surrendered all in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knows what I feel and He sends His Holy Spirit to help me through, and I draw comfort in knowing my Savior understands.

If I must sacrifice it all,

Human dignity—pride,

If You demand the last shred,

Help me, Lord, to abide.

You hung naked on the Cross,

Exposed to human disdain.

If You ask for all that,

Lord, I surrender my pain.

I can’t refuse to give

What You offered for my gain.

When it’s tearing me apart,

You’re still alive and You reign.

Take all of my fear,

Jesus, I offer it now,

I hold nothing back,

As at Your feet I bow.

If You demand all I am,

All I have, all I know—

Help me remember Your scars,

And know You love me so.

I am Your servant-child,

All I have is Your own,

If it makes me more useful,

If it helps someone know.

Lord, You died for them too,

That I know in my heart.

Make me willing to suffer,

And from my comfort to part.

To draw and to woo,

Use my trials to grow,

Each life that I touch,

Every person I know.

Oh Lord, help me please,

May I not waste what You send,

I know there are others

You desire to win.

I stand, an empty vessel,

Humble, frightened, and frail,

If this cup won’t pass from me,

Give me strength not to fail.

© Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, September 21, 2015

About the author:

Norma Gail’s contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, released in 2014 by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She is a Bible study leader, and writes devotionals for ChristianDevotions.us and “The Secret Place.” Norma is a regular contributor to the Stitches thru Time blog. She belongs to American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. She is married and has two adult children.

Connect with Norma:

Website: www.normagail.org

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQbZIoC_JSE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NormaGailwrites

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/normagailth/boards/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7874459

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Norma_Gail

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/norma-gail-thurston-holtman/42/71a/3b2

Book Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas Bookstore: http://store.lpcbooks.com/product/land-of-my-dreams/