Embracing Surrender: The Transformative Power of Prayer

Those of us who eventually learned to swim eventually let go of the side of the pool, we surrendered to a trusted adult, and in doing so and we probably haven't thought about this, in doing so, we were introduced to a world we would have never known or experienced otherwise, a world I would have watched other people enjoy from a safe distance, wakeboarding, surfing, skiing, canoeing, whitewater rafting, scuba diving, high diving, maybe cliff diving, not to mention living without the fear of water. [00:59:29]

The purpose of prayer we talked about this last time is to align our wills with God's will, the purpose of prayer is to surrender our will not impose it. And this becomes even more evident in what follows. So in part one I challenged you to begin your prayers this week this way, I said, begin by declaring his greatness and then surrender your will. Declare His greatness, hallowed be your name, and surrender your will. [09:29:24]

And Jesus says, when we pray, we are to pause and we are to declare our dependence on Him for everything, every day, every single thing lest we forget. Now, this is such a big deal in a culture where we get in trouble because of our excess rather than our privation, right? I mean, in a culture of excess which is the culture we live in, we just take things for granted, right? We expect things, we feel entitled to things, consequently we become ungrateful for things. [13:18:29]

Forgive me, here's what Jesus is teaching, heavenly Father forgive me in the same way and to the same degree that I have forgiven the people who have wronged me. And again, the assumption is surrender. It's like God says, you need forgiveness from me? Yes, I need forgiveness from you. So does that mean you're surrendered to me? Or what do you mean? I mean, are you asking something from me that you're unwilling to extend to others? [17:46:03]

We forgive because we've been? Forgiven. The Apostle Paul comes along later and he reverses the order of things, here's what he writes, he says to Christians, 1st century Christians, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other." Why? You don't even know my story, you don't know what she said about me, you don't know what He did to me. "Forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you." [18:28:40]

When you forgive, come on, when you forgive you are doing for them what your Father in heaven did for you. As Philip Yancey famously wrote, "God announced forgive ahead of time." And we should do the same. To refuse to forgive while asking to be forgiven, do you know what it makes us? It makes us one of those folks that Jesus talked about at the beginning of this little lesson, it makes us a hypocrite, a pretender, a user, a consumer. [20:51:50]

Surrendering to Jesus in this way, it ensures that we don't surrender to bitterness, resentment, anger, revenge, those are not good masters, those are not good lords they do not deserve your loyalty. They'll extend the reach end of your enemy right into your future, right into future generations, right? Now, again, you know people, this isn't new for us. You know people who had every reason in the world to hang onto their hurt, to embrace their resentment, to hold a grudge, to extract revenge, right? [22:48:44]

And when you do, when you do you know this, you've seen this in other people, when you do, you will be introduced to a world, to a peace, to a freedom, you will be introduced to a world you will never know otherwise. So back to the question we asked last week, does prayer work? Well, the Jesus' way of praying works. It works on us, it works in us, it works to free us, but at times, yeah, it's just so uncomfortable. [28:00:83]

I had to learn the hard way that when I focus, when I focus on the work that God is yet to complete in me, I am far less concerned with the work He has yet to complete in you. In other words, if I allow myself or I should say, when I allow myself to get stuck in my prayers of God I'm not sure I can let this go, God I'm not sure I can cancel that debt, in that moment, I'm reminded that I have focused more of my attention on what they have done and where they stand with me, than where I stand with my heavenly Father. [29:48:09]

When I see me as I truly am, I am better positioned to love you in spite of our differences, and in spite of what you've done to me. I won't judge you, I'll just serve you. I'll pray more like a tax collector than a religious leader. God have mercy on me, a sinner. That's the prayer, and that's the posture that Jesus commended. This is where the Jesus prayer takes us and leaves us surrendered, dependent, forgiven. [31:03:66]

So I want you to find a place, I want you to choose a time, I want you to get alone, and I recommend that you choose the same place in the same time, I want you to make this a priority and I want you to begin your day this way, pray your way to surrender. Well, pray like this because, "This then, is how you should pray. 'My Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.'" You're the great God who is infinite and because you've allowed me to call you Father, you're intimate. [31:59:19]

This then is how you should pray, declare your dependence on God for your provision lest you forget. "Give us, give me today my daily bread." Even though I have more bread than I need, and more bread than I should eat, I am not gonna forget that every single morsel of food, every beat of my heart is a gift from you. "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but only give me what you know I can handle, otherwise I might have too much and I might say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or I might become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God." [32:49:21]