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"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:13 NLT)
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (Prov. 3:5-6 NLT)
"Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act." (Psalm 37:7a NLT)
All familiar, powerful verses. All pointed at one direction and one alone: We must surrender to the Lord. We must lean upon Him for our strength, knowledge, wisdom; we must trust Him instead of ourselves; we must seek His will over our own; and we must wait patiently in His presence.
Why is it, then, that surrender is so difficult?
I have been working for a lot of years on surrendering completely to God, and it is something I often write about. You'd think I would have this down pat by now, yet over the past few weeks, I find myself making a number of really bad mistakes in this ministry. As moderator for two internet newsletters, The Nugget and The Illustrator, I've goofed up the mailing lists at least twice in as many weeks, sending one newsletter to the subscribers of the other. I have mis-typed Bible texts, sending out horribly misquoted scripture, I have not been diligent about screening devotionals and have, on at least one occasion, sent out something that was contriversial. What is happening to me? I never used to have these kinds of problems, especially not where ministry was concerned! If I am truly fully surrendered to God, why would I be making such mistakes?
Naturally, all of these mistakes are a significant worry to me. The last thing I ever want to do is to lay a stumbling block in the path of one of His precious children. It seems to me that resigning my position to someone who would be more careful would be the logical thing to do; yet when I pray and ask God if this is what I should do, the answer is a clear, "No"! In the face of my persistent seeking, God then began repeating Himself with one particular message: He doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called!
The meaning of this stings. What it tells me is that God knows I can't do this job. In fact, He isn't asking me to do it. He's asking me to be His hands, His mouth. By contrast, I have been trying to do His work in my own understanding, my own strength. I have not been waiting in His presence for Him to instruct me! And as a result... Well the evidence speaks for itself...
So where do we go from here? God is clear: My job is not to resign; rather, my job is to not even attempt any type of ministry without a prayer on my lips! My job is to consult Him in everything; to pray for His strength, for His ability to find errors before it's too late. My job is to:
1. "Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act." (Psalm 37:7a NLT);
2. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (Prov. 3:5-6 NLT); and
3. Remember that "I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:13 NLT). Not on my own, but through Christ!
I am resolving today to do just that. I thank each of you for your patience through the many errors, and I so appreciate each of you for pointing them out. This devotional is not being written as an apology, however. Rather, I am encouraged to write this for one primary reason alone: We all fall so easily into the same traps! Please learn from my experiences. Don't take anything for granted. Don't rely on your own skill levels, no matter how good they may be. Instead,
1. "Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act." (Psalm 37:7a NLT);
2. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (Prov. 3:5-6 NLT); and
3. To remember that "I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:13 NLT). Not on my own, but through Christ!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Moderator, Associate Director with Answers2Prayer Ministries.
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