“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
Mark 8:34-35 NKJV
Surrendering our lives to Jesus is not an oath of perfection; it’s a statement of allegiance. It’s not just one moment in our lives. It’s a reorientation and alignment of our hearts to bring our minds, emotions, and wills into daily submission to his plan and purpose for us. Life is a journey in relationship with Jesus, following him each step of the way. We experience a life of freedom and fruitfulness through a succession of individual days of following him.
Learning to follow Jesus takes effort and practice, just like learning anything new. Starting each day with a prayer of surrender is a great way to keep the heart attuned to what God wants. It can be easy to get lost in our spiritual journey—disoriented about where we are or how to get back on track. We can get lost or stuck for various reasons, and we need a simple way to get back on the path. Some people wait for that to happen at the next church service or Bible study. Sometimes it takes a crisis. But we don’t to have to wait to re-calibrate in our journey.
Here is a daily/simple way to realign our hearts. If you’ve ever played any kind of sport, you know each one has its own “ready” or beginning position. It’s the prime starting position to do what comes next. For example, in basketball the ready position is called the triple threat position. From that stance, you are able to pass, shoot, or dribble when you have the ball. In short, you are ready for whatever next action is best.
Think of this prayer as the ready position for your daily journey. It’s a spiritual position of surrender to whatever action—go, do, say, or give—that Jesus asks of you that day, depending on the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you rather than just trying harder in your own strength.
The prayer is a simple way to align your heart with his, with your eyes focused on him, your feet set to follow him, and your hands ready to serve him in whatever way he leads you today.
If you haven’t already, will you bow before Jesus, and say that you’ll surrender to him, and in the power of the Holy Spirit you will go, do, say, and give for his honor and glory?
And now, make this a daily exercise of surrender to him. And why not share your decision with a friend and encourage them to do the same.
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