Encountering God’s Love: Face to FaceChikamu

Day Three: Surrender

Surrender is far simpler when we know that we are safe, but if our safety is in question then surrender will be in tension. Perhaps this is why many people find the idea of surrendering to a God they cannot see as a stretch too far. The lack of safety creates an unknown too great. 

Though Moses had been running from his past for years, he had not run from God. At the beginning of Exodus 3, we find God visiting Moses in a burning bush. Moses approached the unusual site when suddenly he heard a voice calling to him, asking him to take off his shoes. Whether from fear or intrigue there was no arguing with the voice that interrupted his daily routine, so Moses obliged. I realize the shoes were removed in reverence to the holiness of God, but could it be this also symbolized a new season? Moses soon discovered that his running days were finished; it was time to walk on the path of purpose once again. The Father will often ask us to revisit a place of pain before establishing a deep peace found within our purpose. 

Moses had numerous roadblocks to push through, including memories of his own failures, before he was able to fully walk in the freedom God had for him. What if we saw our roadblocks as doors to freedom instead of barriers to peace? 

Remember, God will never push us outside his ability to deliver. He always allows time to rest in the safety of his grace and love even in (especially in) confusing or painful seasons. Roadblocks are opportunities to strengthen our faith muscles, hone a mindset built on trust, and defeat the lies of self-pity and a victim mentality. Silencing pity allows the power of God to freely work in us, confronting what has plagued us, possibly for years, ending its power once and for all. 

Moses never needed to confront Pharaoh again. Revisiting his point of pain was excruciating, but confrontation created emancipation. God will never push you beyond where you want to go, yet he is happy to lead you further than you have been before.  

Are you ready?

Reflect: 

As you read today’s devotional, has it highlighted any places you need to revisit in your own life?

What do you find most challenging about surrender? 

Does your image of God affect how quickly you surrender to God’s leading?