Trust in the Lord with all your heart           
and lean not on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

Picture this: You’re a child and you have your back towards your father who’s standing a couple of feet away. Playfully he tells you to fall backwards, promising he would catch you. Would you trust him? Or would you be afraid?

This is what it was like when I was prompted to surrender myself to God for the first time. At first I wasn’t sure he could be trusted. How could I trust someone I couldn’t see? It took awhile before I was ready.

I think many of us are a bit like the small child in the story—afraid to let go and trust someone. Even our father. Even our heavenly Father.

Pride will keep us from surrendering ourselves to God. It takes humility to realize we can’t do it all on our own. It takes humility to let go and let God. Jesus is our ultimate example of humility. He humbled himself in obedience to God, to the point of dying on the cross. (Phil 2:8) The apostle Paul talks to you and me:

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.” (Philippians 2:5-6 NLT)

When you face a tough situation, like we all do today, you might find yourself ready to believe in Someone greater than yourself. You may have come to the point of really longing for Someone you can trust to help you let go of the fear, the worries, and feelings of inadequacy. God can be trusted. He can help reduce your stress. He can bring peace.

How to start? Surrendering to God will happen when you read his Word, the Bible. If you open yourself to scripture, reading with a receptive heart and mind, you will “hear” God speak to you. You’ll learn to trust him.

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he encourages them—and us—to shed their anxiety and to look to God in prayer. He will be there.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

marja