The reality of surrender

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

If you’re in the middle of this storm with me, I want to share something God has been teaching me through surrender:

It’s a daily commitment. Notice in Matthew He didn't say come to me once. He said "come." So that means every time! Not just today, tomorrow, or after you try all week in your own strength.

We say we surrender in prayer, and in that moment, we mean it. But minutes or even hours later, when our emotions get loud, we take it back. We look at our situation again, feel the familiarity, and want control.

We start thinking, “There’s no way I can wait on God right now. This has to be handled immediately.”

That’s the voice of our flesh.

And until we learn to recognize who is speaking and guiding us, surrender can feel like a frustrating process.

What has been keeping me grounded is my desire to be obedient.

Take a moment to think about how much God loves you, how He has kept you, carried you, and continues to love you daily. As those thoughts come to mind, ask yourself: How can I please Him?

Scripture tells us that we please God by our faith.

So, if we don’t truly believe He can do what we’re asking… why do we ask? Why do we trust our reactions more than we trust Him?

Surrender requires consistency.

It’s dying to yourself daily. It’s waking up, giving it to God again, and choosing to wait, even when it’s hard. Even when it feels lonely, dark, or empty.

And here’s what I’m learning:

Surrender isn’t perfection.

It’s recognizing when you’ve picked something back up, even a thought, and giving it right back to Him.

“God, I miss that person. God, I miss that habit. God, I miss what I used to run to.”

And then… laying it down again.

God already knows our struggles. He understands our flesh. He knows our strongholds. He’s not looking at us saying, “She picked it up again.”

He’s saying, “Every time she feels the weight of it, she runs back to Me. She trusts Me with it.”

That is faith.

Yesterday, I was fine and then out of nowhere, I broke down in my kitchen. I cried out to God for strength and realized something:

I’m still grieving. I’m still healing. And God is with me in every moment of it.

In that moment, He showed me something else about surrender:

It’s not pretending you’re okay.

It’s letting it out and letting Him comfort you.

And He did.

As I cried, I felt His peace gently cover me. I felt Him redirect my thoughts back to His love, His voice, and His truth. And I saw how quickly the darkness fades when you’re anchored in Him.

Those heavy moments that try to overwhelm us, they’re often connected to the very things we haven’t fully released. The things we haven’t repented from. The things we haven’t been honest about. The things we won’t allow ourselves to feel.

So, I want to ask you honestly:

What are you still holding onto?

What have you not fully given to God?

Because He doesn’t want part of it, He wants all of it.

Closing Prayer

Lord, I pray for every person reading this who is in the middle of surrender and feels overwhelmed in the process. I pray that you meet them right where they are, not in perfection, but in their honesty.

Teach us how to truly let go. Give us the strength to choose you daily, even when our emotions are loud and our flesh wants control. Help us to recognize your voice over every other voice that tries to lead us away from you.

Lord, increase our faith. Remind us that you are trustworthy, that your plans are good, and that your timing is perfect, even when we don’t understand it.

When we pick things back up, gently remind us to lay them back down without shame. Teach us to run to you again and again, knowing that you are patient, loving, and always ready to receive us.

Comfort every heart that is still grieving, still healing, and still learning how to rest in you. Let your peace cover them in a way that only you can.

Help us to surrender fully our thoughts, our desires, our fears, and our past. Give us the obedience to stay still and the trust to let you do the work in us.

We give it all to you, Lord. And we choose to trust you, even here, even now.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.