The Joy of Surrendering… Everything to God

Pray and trust God with the outcome… total surrender to him... easier said than done? If you’re feeling this way, tune in :) Sharing how God has been leading me towards a “be expectant and chill… trust God will answer and relax” attitude, and why it’s different than how he’s taught me to wait on him in the past. Let’s keep praying to our Lord, friends! Waiting on the Lord is good—it shows we trust him.

Listen to You Are You Christian podcast for women on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and read the transcript below.

Hello friends!

I’m prepping this episode from my couch, as the sun sets over the city. It’s a bit of a hazy sunset this evening, a lot of gray-blue clouds but also a light pink streak in the middle of it all. When we’re waiting on God for something, it can feel like this right? Amidst haze, there is always hope. 

Lately, I’ve felt God nudge me to surrender more. Last weekend, I had a day date with God and really needed it. Since moving to Toronto a few months ago, life has been busy—with everything from setting up my apartment from scratch to finding a church and new friends. For months, years even now, I’ve felt like Toronto was the next step and now that I’m here… it’s been wonderful to step into an answered prayer.

But as always, I’m still waiting on God for things right? And now I see this as a good thing! 

I’m definitely the kind of person that prays big prayers. Whether it’s to do with a personal situation, a family situation, a city or community situation… our God is big and does miracles! I want as much of God’s intervention in all areas of my life that I can get, you know what I mean?

So I’ve come to the conclusion that waiting, when it’s waiting on God, is good because it means we believe in who he says he is. The danger is when we get impatient that he hasn’t answered in the way or timing that we want… and we can start to focus on our wants and idolize that instead of worshiping God.

May we remember that we are God’s beloved sheep and sometimes get lost and need a little corralling. So during my day date with God, I was surprised at how difficult I was finding it to just really not only lay down my burdens logically but wholeheartedly. To not get distracted. To just enjoy God’s presence. Have you ever felt like this—that we can get so wrapped up and busy with things that we need a reminder that “Hey, this is not God’s best—let’s remember God’s presence is the best place to be.”

So I shifted my prayers from what I wanted and needed to just praising God. At one point, I felt God encourage me to pray a prayer of surrender, like Hannah did for Samuel (see 1 Samuel 1).

It’s funny but I feel like I’ve prayed many prayers of surrender before but this time it felt different perhaps because God coupled Hannah’s example of wholehearted surrender with a reminder to “see how God will answer.”

And this has helped me to let go of wanting things to happen in a certain way or timing. I know that I know that I know that God has heard me. I know my prayers were in line with God’s Word. And so I wait! I can focus on other things that God has given me to work on in the meantime but on that prayer topic, I still pray regularly on it but the anxiousness is gone.

Friend, we are in a really unique season are we not? In Toronto, in the urban church that I go to, it seems like everyone is praying hard over work, relationships, and finances. Blessed are we to be in an era where we can talk about these things without shame—but to seek prayer and lift one another up. We all need God’s intervention in one way or another! Maybe you’re in a city like Toronto or a smaller or bigger place, but you and your family, friends, and community need God just the same, amen?

So with this episode I just wanted to share a bit about what God is teaching me about surrender and the beauty of waiting on him. Waiting on him will always be better than not waiting on him. Yes we still live and act but I pray we do so grounded in his Word, soaked in his presence, ears and eyes open to his movement.

Our God is so beautiful. He is King. Let’s seek him about everything knowing that he loves to demonstrate his power! Lord, shine through us. Do miracles in our midst. Bless and open doors in our work, relationships, and finances—and when the blessings come, may we thank you and surrender again. There’s no better life than one surrendered to you. We believe it. We love you. Amen.