The Beauty of Total Surrender

Daily Devotional

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Psalms 34:18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Surrender is not a word we like to hear; it comes with a negative connotation. Although that might be how it is perceived, it would be foolish to ignore the benefits that are associated with total surrender to God.

The first benefit of total surrender is that it positions us in the presence of God. Psalms 34:18 tells that the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken spirit. A broken spirit represents a heart that is totally yielded to God. Surrender is an invitation to God to come and tabernacle with you. Recall that in the tabernacle pattern that was given to Moses in the book of Exodus, before the priest could go into the presence of God they had to first go to the brazen altar, which was the place of surrender. It was so because from that time God was making it clear that total surrender is a requirement to entertain His presence. If you want to be close to God, you have to pay the price of total surrender.

The second benefit of total surrender is that it opens us up to receive God’s salvation and deliverance from the situations that plague us. Psalms 34:18 says God “saveth such as are of a contrite spirit”. A contrite spirit is a heart that is repentant and is a by-product of being totally surrendered to God. It acts as a magnet for God’s continuous salvation and deliverance. 

Note that It was after the widow of Zarephath abandoned her plan to bake a cake for herself and her son and gave it instead to the man of God, that her season of lack changed (1 Kings 17). Moses’ 40 years in the wilderness ended when he totally surrendered to God, evidenced by him doing as he was told and taking the sandals off his feet. Total surrender was the primary strategy employed by Abraham from the time that God called him and he received all that God had promised. Beauty comes with total surrender.

The purpose of total surrender is not to bring you down; rather it is to lift you up. All those throughout scripture who practiced total surrender, were made better off, not worse.

Life Application: Be willing to totally surrender your thoughts and action to God in favour of what God has spoken and he will lift you up.

Prayer: Lord, I surrender all to you withholding nothing. May I always see the importance of surrendering to you and commit to doing so daily. In Jesus’ name, amen.