Eastside 21 Days of PrayerSample

DAY 3: A PRAYER OF SURRENDER

To surrender is to give up control of something to someone else. Martin Luther was describing surrender when he advised us to “Pray, and let God worry.” 

The second part of Psalm 131:1 says “I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.” This is the language of making a choice. Worry begins when we take responsibility for something or someone we have no control over. Your pursuit of God today begins with a choice: to not concern yourself with something. Can you make that choice? Will you? 

David refused to concern himself here with 1) great matters, and, 2) things too wonderful for him. The Hebrew word here that we translate into “great matters” is their word for “loud.” Are your thoughts dominated by someone or something whose voice is louder than your own? Or something that is wonderful and exciting but still outside of your control?

PRAY

1. Pursue God today by converting David’s prayer into yours. Fill in the blank: “God, I do not concern myself with ___________________________, and here is why.”
2. Surrendering something we cannot control any longer is hard. Surrendering usually takes place when a battle has been lost. What battle did you lose that led you to surrender today? In your own words, thank God on your behalf for that lost battle and the chance to see him more clearly.
3. If you have something wonderful going on in your life, does it distract you from God or from things that he would have you focus on? If so, thank God for this blessing, surrender it to him, and ask him what he would have you focus on today in its place. Take a moment to adjust your plans accordingly.