Surrender

One thing that fascinates me is the courage of those who do sky diving! As I was reading about the different ways that people are trained, I learnt a few lessons. There are those that are beginners and need the help and support of trainers. They depend on those trainers to give them confidence and safety. They don`t yet feel confident. They can do it, but with someone near to give them help if they need it. And then there are those that are professional. They can sky dive without any help. They`ve had enough training and practice and can jump out of the plane and trust the parachute will bring them down safely.

Christians can learn great lessons from the sky divers. Maybe you`re a beginner in faith. You hold yourself back, keep things inside, not because you want to, but because you don`t know how to surrender. You need someone to come along and give you support so you can feel safe enough to let go! It isn`t necessarily the help from people that we need, but the help of the Holy Spirit to bring us into surrender, and to give us the confidence and security we need. We need to invite Him in, and for Him to take His rightful place as a gentle helper. Sky divers who`ve passed the beginner`s course can jump alone, but with a helper nearby, just in case! And that is like the Lord. `God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble` (Psalm 46:1). Someone wrote the song `He`s only a prayer away`.

Finally there are those who are experienced and can confidently jump from the aeroplane and enjoy their sky diving! Jesus knows all about us. He knows our weaknesses and He also knows our strengths because He has lived in human form and has undergone the same things we have undergone. In the Bible we`re instructed to approach the throne of God with confidence, to receive mercy and grace in times of need. This encourages us to bring our burdens to the Lord and surrender to Him, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

We need to let go and let God. We don`t need to be afraid. We can tell the Lord everything, as we would a trusted friend. He knows all about us and longs for us to come and bring all our burdens to Him.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You know me and all that I`m carrying on the inside. I pray that, by Your Holy Spirit, You`ll help me to surrender it all to You. I lay down everything that I`ve held on to. Please take control, and give me Your rest and peace. Thank You, Lord, Amen.