Prayer: Daily Conversations With GodSample

Day Four: Yield

Consider what it means to surrender to God

I don’t know about you but I like to be in control. If I’m not in the driver’s seat, I’ll be the one telling you how to drive from the back. If I’m not the one tasked to be in charge, I’ll be gently suggesting what I think needs to be done in order to arrive at the desired outcome. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that I think I know the best way to get us to where we want to be. 

That attitude can spill over into my relationship with God as well. His way of working in my life is often much slower, more complex, and messier than I’d like. Even though I know He sees the things I don’t, I will wrestle Him for control when it comes to the plans and situations in my life. 

Yielding is an act of trust, laying down our understanding and demands for how we think things should go. It is saying to God that even in the midst of hard circumstances, we know He is working all things for our good. We may not like the way in which He is working it all out, but like a doctor administering a shot or a mother refusing a child begging for more candy and treats, we know His intentions are beneficial for our wellbeing. 

But yielding requires submission. It asks us to cease resisting and submit to the authority of another. It forces us to open our hands from the tight grip we have over a circumstance or desired end. It pushes away our pride and limited understanding of our world and situation in exchange for accepting a long-range vision we cannot see. 

I wonder if you too struggle when it comes to control in your relationship with God. Are there places in your life that you are wrestling for the steering wheel? Are there circumstances where you feel like God’s speed or response is not fast enough or correct? Do you have a hard time letting go of control and trusting the one in the driver’s seat? 

Today is the day to open your hands in those places where you have refused to loosen your clenched fists. Today is the day to say to the Lord, I trust you, even if the unfolding of how He chooses to move isn’t the way you would. Today is the day to stop fighting against Him and allow Him to fight for you. 

Prayer Prompt: Dear God, today I surrender to you _______. Help me to get out of the way.

■ Surrender something that you have been arguing about with God or that you need to give control to Him. 

■ Release something you have struggled to trust Him with or a situation you have been trying to manipulate into a specific outcome.