I Surrender - The One Year Daily Acts of Gratitude Devotional

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

As I turned the key in the ignition, I sighed deeply. Weary. I was weary. The week felt dogpiled with burdens beyond my immediate control and with overwhelming concern for people I loved.

Lord, this is too heavy. I can’t carry this.

With my silent confession aimed heavenward, I put the car into reverse. I slowly began backing down the driveway, my thoughts swirling, trying—once again—to find a solution to a situation without solutions.

All to you, I surrender

Everything, every part of me

My bewilderment over how and why music was suddenly and unexpectedly filling the air turned to gratitude as I recognized the song by Kim Walker-Smith. My phone’s Bluetooth had connected with the car stereo. While it usually connected with whatever recent podcast I’d been listening to, this time, it connected with my worship playlist and this particular song. I don’t know whether it was mere coincidence or divine intervention, but it was the gentle reminder I needed in a moment of hopelessness.

I felt the tension release as the biblical truth of the lyrics washed over me: I wasn’t alone. And as I drove, I realized that some of the cares I’d been shouldering were not mine to bear. I’d been running around taking up worries when I should have been on my knees in surrender, giving loved ones and challenging circumstances to God.

With the awareness that I’d been trying to deal with these issues on my own, I again repented: Lord, thank you that I’m not alone. Thank you that I don’t have to carry this too-heavy burden. I’m sorry I sometimes forget to run to you; forgive me for my arrogance.

I won’t pretend that I didn’t fret about my loved ones or wrestle with how to solve the impossible after that precious moment in the car. But now, I took my fretting and wrestling to God, lifting the situation to him in prayer rather than handling it on my own, trying to be a superhero, unsurrendered.

Julie

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Think of one burden you’ve been trying to carry on your own. Surrender it to God, thanking him that you aren’t the superhero in the story. He is. Always.