Luke 22:42
..nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.
"God, if you do this for me right now, I promise to serve you for the rest of my life!", I've mumbled to God, when I found myself in situations, where I saw that there was absolutely no escape route. There may not be anything inherently wrong with making such promises to God, but there’s a hint of "conditional" commitment in it. But as I grow in Christ, as the Holy Spirit deepens my root in the Father’s unfailing love, I've come to understand that the only appropriate response to "Unconditional Love" is Unconditional surrender. When we introspect our lives and see how, in-spite of our selfish motives and proud demeanor, God chooses to fellowship with us through His Spirit (as we repent), and guides us (when we ask Him to) with His love - that's when we experience the beauty of the Agape love of God. We learn through every season of life (particularly the dark ones), that God loves us no matter what, and His plans are always the best. Along the journey of life, I learn that He turns water into wine, mourning into dancing, and gives beauty for ashes. When that gets deep in my heart, I slowly let go of my own will, my own plans, and surrender to the perfect and Holy will of God, even if it meant momentary pain and suffering, even if it meant venturing into the unknown and the unsafe.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not know what was on the other side of surrender and obedience to God. They did not allow "fear" that could've led them into thinking "What if obedience to God means death??", but they surrendered to God through "Faith" saying "..even if He[God] does not [deliver], we want you to know, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.". Faith is an essential ingredient in unconditional surrender.
In life, I've learnt that we might go through troubles which might seem unnecessary to us, but we will never know what lies on the other side of “suffering”, until we get there. During times when we are tempted to quit or even grumble, let the Holy Spirit remind us of Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."
..nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.
"God, if you do this for me right now, I promise to serve you for the rest of my life!", I've mumbled to God, when I found myself in situations, where I saw that there was absolutely no escape route. There may not be anything inherently wrong with making such promises to God, but there’s a hint of "conditional" commitment in it. But as I grow in Christ, as the Holy Spirit deepens my root in the Father’s unfailing love, I've come to understand that the only appropriate response to "Unconditional Love" is Unconditional surrender. When we introspect our lives and see how, in-spite of our selfish motives and proud demeanor, God chooses to fellowship with us through His Spirit (as we repent), and guides us (when we ask Him to) with His love - that's when we experience the beauty of the Agape love of God. We learn through every season of life (particularly the dark ones), that God loves us no matter what, and His plans are always the best. Along the journey of life, I learn that He turns water into wine, mourning into dancing, and gives beauty for ashes. When that gets deep in my heart, I slowly let go of my own will, my own plans, and surrender to the perfect and Holy will of God, even if it meant momentary pain and suffering, even if it meant venturing into the unknown and the unsafe.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not know what was on the other side of surrender and obedience to God. They did not allow "fear" that could've led them into thinking "What if obedience to God means death??", but they surrendered to God through "Faith" saying "..even if He[God] does not [deliver], we want you to know, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.". Faith is an essential ingredient in unconditional surrender.
In life, I've learnt that we might go through troubles which might seem unnecessary to us, but we will never know what lies on the other side of “suffering”, until we get there. During times when we are tempted to quit or even grumble, let the Holy Spirit remind us of Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."
For,
It took "unconditional surrender" of three young men, to bring a pagan king into God's kingdom. It took "unconditional surrender" of Jesus, to bring the whole of humanity into God's kingdom.
Such is the power of complete surrender to God, when our "What if.."s become "Even if.."s. Surrendering to God - is not an indication of weakness, it is the most courageous act of a human who chooses to let go of his own plans, disregard his own calculations, and follow-through the painful situations – by choosing to trust the Highest Wisdom and rest in the Unconditional Love.
No life is more secure than a life surrendered to God (from the internet; not sure of the original author).
And Minnie Louise Haskins's poem "God knows" goes like this,
I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year,
"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied, "Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way."
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