For years now, I have taught how prayer changes us, molding us into the faithful, successful, Christ followers we need to be.
But are all prayers the same? No! There are several kinds of prayers, ranging from worship and silence, as we listen to God’s voice, to repentance and lifting up our needs and the needs of others.
Each of these elements are necessary; but what I’ve seen in my own life is that they all fall under another type of prayer. And in order to be molded and changed, we must first master this one “umbrella” prayer, under which every other kind of prayer rests, and is empowered. Jesus eludes to this in John 15, . . . and I want to visit that passage again, with you:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” (John 15:1-16)
The Prayer of Surrender
Surrender begins with the knowledge that God is God and we are not, followed by a genuine desire for God to change the way we see things so we can have a heavenly perspective rather than an earthly one. In turn, this heavenly perspective ushers our hearts into a place where we can honestly and wholeheartedly pray, “God, take complete control of my life.” Until we embrace surrender, we will be hindering how effective our prayer life will be.
Without surrender, prayers that address our needs can feel more like talking to some giant genie whose wish is our command rather than a Sovereign, yet loving, God who has a plan!
Without surrender, we will refuse to change the areas of our lives where God prompts us to change!
Without surrender, we cannot be molded into the image of Christ!
If we refuse to change and are too hard to be molded into Christ-likeness, then we won’t become the person God wants us to be. As a result, our lives will suffer; but not just our own, everyone around us will suffer as well. And if we are parents, or grandparents, our children will miss out on the blessing of having a mom or dad, or a grandma and grandpa, who is shaped and guided by the transforming power of prayer.
Think of how the church can be affected, now and for future generations, if we, its members, live out our lives and examples, under the umbrella of surrendered prayer!
As His church, we can be better bonded together, and for the Kingdom; by you and I experiencing the power of surrendered prayer together. Let’s learn to embrace surrender to God’s amazing, (though sometimes hard), design for our lives. So go ahead, begin your next time in prayer with surrender. And if you don’t feel ready to surrender, just be honest with God and ask Him to help you. It all starts with a choice, so make surrender to God your choice today and see God work more freely in your life. Remember, with God, there really is victory through surrender!
