Surrendering But Co-Labouring With God
BRD REFLECTIONS:
(Ryan Lim, CIC Facilitator)
READ
As I read Joel 3 & Psalm 101, the verses that caught my attention were:
Joel 3 (NKJV)
v7: Behold, I will raise them out of the place to which you have sold them and will return your retaliation upon your own head.
v10: Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’
v18: And it will come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip with new wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; a fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Acacias.
Psalm 101 (NKJV)
v8: Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.
OBSERVE:
As a Christian, leaving everything to “God’s hands” might seem ideal. I am, after all, called to surrender all to God. I should not worry as God is in control: in all things, HE will watch over me, and in HIS time all things will turn out well, as exemplified in v7. Hence, I should not be upset about people who wrong me or be envious of wicked people who seem to flourish. As it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord (Romans 12:19 NKJV). Joel 3:18 further emphasises that God’s promise of blessings will happen in HIS time.
A superficial reading of this might suggest that I am free from all responsibility and can live as per normal, and all things will flow into place. After all, God is in charge, and he loves me, right? However, v10 jumps out and says an emphatic NO. While the outcome is in God’s hands, it doesn’t mean I should remain passive and leave it to God. Rather, I am to be part of the solution; there are things that I must do.
Psalm 101 further highlights that God will deal with those who commit iniquity, hence I should not let sin fester and proactively remove it as soon as possible.
APPLY:
As a not-so-young adult, there are many aspects of life that I want to be in control of. It is not easy to surrender all aspects to God. It does seem that surrendering means not caring enough about things.
Joel 3 reminds me that I still have a role to play, and that surrendering the situation to God does not mean absolving me of all responsibility. I must prepare myself for when or if the Lord calls me to action. Psalm 101 highlights the ways I am to be faithful to God, as HE is always faithful.
DO:
In all situations, I must:
- Truly surrender the outcome to God, no matter how much I want to be in control.
- Remember that surrender does not equate to not caring; rather it is about trusting God and doing all things in a manner that pleases God while waiting faithfully and patiently for HIS perfect timing.
- Spend time praying and listening to God, to see if the situation aligns with God’s will for me.
While this is easier in some situations and infinitely more difficult in others, I can lean on God to help me surrender it all.
PRAY:
Heavenly Father, thank you for having the perfect plan for me. Thank you for letting me be a co-labourer with YOU on this journey.
Lord, I am sorry that sometimes I fail to surrender certain aspects of my life to You, but I pray that even as I have grieved You, You will not give up on me. Help me to entrust all aspects of my life to You, knowing that surrender does not mean doing nothing and not caring.
In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.
