A final decision to develop a better relationship with God from Swindoll’s book, “Intimacy with the Almighty“ is to trust the Lord completely; this requires practicing the discipline of surrender.
Surrender.
Not an easy word. Less easy to do! Most often we have to get to the end of our rope or run out of better options for us to raise the white flag!
If my determined purpose is to become more deeply and intimately acquainted with God, I can’t retain the rights to my own position or continuously be preoccupied with working out the details of my own life.
Think of the Jesus’ example of complete surrender before going to the cross when he said to the Father, “Not my will, but Yours.” I need to constantly surrender my vision, my plans, my position, my title to God and trust that He knows better than me.
Intimacy with the Almighty doesn’t happen overnight, but is a result of a passionate pursuit of God and a consistent practice of these disciplines: Simplicity, Silence, Solitude and Surrender. These four decisions and disciplines are a journey.
A good friend, Jay Lorenzen (Jay’s blog) has been reading “Who is my Neighbor?: Being a Good Samaritan in a Connected World” by Steve Moore. Here is part of a prayer he suggests related to this topic of surrender. I am thinking of making it a daily prayer:
Father, I surrender myself to you again today. I am your servant, and you are my master. I acknowledge all that I am and everything I have belongs to you. The longing of my heart, though well beyond my reach, is for every moment of this day to be a white-hot passionate pursuit of a straight path toward intimacy with you. I want my life to be centered, anchored, and rooted in you. I want everything I see, think, say, and do today to bring you glory, to be honoring and pleasing to you. If at any moment today my attention, my direction, or my focus turns even the slightest bit to the right or to the left, please, Father, like the needle of a compass turns back to true north, turn my focus back toward you.
What are you praying for? Share a comment.
Related blogs and posts:
Steve Morgan
stevermorgan.com 
I’m so touched by this!! Thank you!