Faith and Surrender. 

Is it possible to stay in a strong position of faith while fully surrendering your will and your way to the Lord? Have you ever found yourself in an uncomfortable place that required faith and surrender to join together in a powerful twinship?

I have found that faith and surrender are, in fact, not mutually exclusive, but often intersect at a beautiful crossroads of life with the Savior. When faith meets surrender, the joy of heaven explodes, and peace reigns in fullness.

When surrender partners with faith, the Father is well-pleased.

Faith believes God is well able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. Faith knows all power and authority belongs to Jesus Christ, and our lives are in His capable hands. Faith is the full assurance that every promise in the Bible is true and that it was written for me.

Surrender does not negate the active operation of faith in a believer's life, but it removes every drop of selfishness from uncompromising faith.

Surrender is often a Garden of Gethsemane experience. When people come against you, and the road of life seems fraught with disappointment and hardship, it is in that impossible place when surrender to the Father's loving and wise hand is the most powerful choice one can make.

"'He went on a little farther and got down with His face on the ground. He prayed, "My Father, if it can be done, take away what is before Me. Even so, not what I want but what You want." (Matt. 26:39, NLV).

When my life seems to be coming apart at the seams, I find myself in the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus. I watch as He sweats great drops of blood, and I hear the human anguish in His dear voice. I observe how He falls on His face among the wicked thorns and the beauty of new growth. I stand incredulous as I see the disciples snoring, drooling and sleeping.

And I hear Him declare, "Even so, not what I want but what You want."

Just 10 desperate words of human surrender, but the impact of their intent echoes through the ages and resonates in the Gethsemane of my life.

I often remind myself that if that 10-word prayer was good enough for Jesus, it is good enough for me.

If that prayer is what Jesus prayed at the worst moment of His life, then it is the prayer that I will pray as well.

There are also moments when my circumstances threaten to implode around me, and I find myself at the threshold of that fiery inferno with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These men knew that they were called to greatness in the kingdom of God, and they knew that they had served Him without compromise and yet still the white-hot furnace loomed certain in their future.

What did these men of faith declare to the evil monarch, King Nebuchadnezzar, who had the human authority to throw them into the blazing flames?

"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up" (Dan. 3:17-18, MEV).

"Even if He does not." Those are words of human surrender. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood at that beautiful intersection of faith and surrender. God is well able, even if He chooses not to deliver us!

I have faith in God's ability, and I surrender to His wisdom.

I stand firm on the promises of God, and I abdicate my will for His will alone.

I know that I know that I know that He is well able to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that I ask or think, yet I yield my plans for His way.

Faith and surrender. What a powerful and beautiful address to occupy.

Carol McLeod is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. She has written five books, including No More Ordinary, Holy Estrogen!, The Rooms of a Woman's Heart and Defiant Joy! Her most recent book, Refined: Finding Joy in the Midst of the Fire, was released last August. Her teaching DVD, The Rooms of a Woman's Heart, won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award for excellence in religious programming. You can also listen to Carol's "A Jolt of Joy" program daily on the Charisma Podcast Network. Connect with Carol or inquire about her speaking to your group at justjoyministries.com.

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