A few nights ago I dreamed about a question, “What is the #1 need in the church today?” It was an odd experience because first of all, I don’t normally do this. Secondly, it was as if I was teaching a group of people in the dream. When I woke up, I grabbed my cellphone and made a voice note, so I would remember it.
Before I share my thoughts, I wanted to share a few things from a social media post where I asked this very question. As you can imagine, there were varied responses. Some come from a place of pain. Others came from a certain viewpoint that they tend to focus on. As I list a few of these, maybe ask yourself that same question. There were expected responses like sound doctrine, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, fear of the Lord, and discipleship. An interesting one for me that was commented on by many, was connection and community. I believe all of these are vital to our local churches.
What I am going to share here applies to not just the local church, but the people who make up the local church. The idea I had in my dream and that I want to share here with you leaders is the word “surrender”. Romans 12:1-2 tells us, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Surrender is not a new idea, but sometimes in the busyness of serving, it is forgotten or neglected. As a worship pastor for many years, one of the things I stressed most with my teams was that worship wasn’t about the songs we sing, but the act of surrendering to him. So Paul is encouraging us to present ourselves to God. Open-handedly come to Him. No agenda, no premade plans.
Surrender is a catalyst for everything else. To surrender simply means to cease resistance to an enemy and submit to their authority. When a felon is on the run, he hides, always looking behind. He isolates and stays in the darkness. Always anxious and never at rest. When he finally turns himself in or is caught, he ceases to do those things. No more running. No more striving. No more anxiousness. Finally surrenders to the process.
How many times do we find ourselves running, hiding, striving, or warring with ourselves? I felt compelled to encourage all of us to surrender. For some, you might need to come back to the Father. Maybe He hasn’t done what you thought He would do, or maybe you have felt He hasn’t been there. When we finally surrender, we see that in reality, He has been there all along. He has been working behind the scenes, even if you haven’t seen it. Maybe it’s time to surrender. Surrender your vision, goals, dreams, plans, heart, sin, and desires. In reality, until something is given over to Him, He cannot bless it. We cannot receive God’s peace if our hands are holding fear and anxiety tightly. We cannot accept the next thing He has for us if we are holding on to the past. I saw a graphic that spoke to me personally this week.
“No amount of regret changes the past, no amount of anxiety changes the future, any amount of gratitude changes the present”
Presenting ourselves to God involves humility, self-rejection, and sincerity with an open heart and hand. Perhaps today, set aside a few extra minutes to pray, meditate and soul search to see if perhaps there is something that needs to be surrendered to Him. In the hustle of life, I think we can fall into the trap of doing things the way they always have been done. In a way, that is easier. If you find yourself in a struggle, or constantly anxious about the next thing, maybe it’s time to turn yourself in and cease resistance. Doing things His way is always best. Take a moment and pray this to the Lord from a sincere and honest heart. Maybe even open up your hands. Lay down that thing you are holding so closely and release that to His will and way!
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all
