Sweet Surrender by Pastor Karena Lout

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

Last Saturday night we had the honor of hearing from Jennifer Miskov and her team from Destiny House in Redding. Because Jennifer has such a high value for the presence of God more than anything else, we heard much more than a message. We were invited into an intimate encounter with God. I had a rough week so I came to church feeling a bit heavy hearted. Throughout the night, I felt the tender nudging of Holy Spirit to surrender my unanswered questions, my pain, and the places of my heart that were stuck, wading in murky waters.  When Jesus whispered the word “surrender” in my ear during worship, it sounded easy enough because my heart was beginning to soften. But surrendering is not for the faint of heart. Here’s the definition: to agree to stop fighting, hiding, resisting because you know that you will not win or succeed; to give the control to someone else. It takes a great amount of trust to surrender areas in our life and in our heart that still feel “in process.”   In order to trust and surrender all, it’s vital that we know the true nature and heart of God. If we don’t know His nature, we can’t be certain how He will use His power. In the earthly sense, we often associate power with control or even abuse. But Jesus uses His power to heal, to love and to make all things work together for our good. We may not fully understand His ways, but when we know His true nature, surrendering becomes much more inviting.   Unanswered questions can leave you feeling confused and sometimes tormented. When there’s a demand for answers, we often find ourselves trying to logically figure something out that will fit into our paradigm of limited understanding. But when we choose to surrender those questions, disappointment and hopelessness soon get swallowed up into a beautiful ocean of mystery, waiting to be explored.  I want to encourage you that even if you don’t fully understand yet why and how God is moving in your life, you can be certain of His goodness and love toward you. I pray that as your trust increases, you will experience the wonder of the mystery and holiness of God in a new way. I pray that God will turn the bitter into sweet as you surrender your heart and your life more fully to Him. He is so good and so faithful! Love, Karena