3. Surrender yourself to the Lord
Throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.
— Josh. 24:23
Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to the LORD. — 2 Chron. 30:8
Submit to the Father. — Heb. 12:9
Submit yourselves, then, to God.
— James 4:7
Not as I will, but as You will.
— Matt. 26:39
I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
— John 5:30
If you desire God to guide you and use you, you must be willing to follow Him even before you know what He might ask. God does not answer the prayers of double-minded people who hold mental reservations or are fickle with Him (James 1:6-8). To surrender to God assumes that you trust Him to love you and to do right; it assumes that you believe that His will for you is good, acceptable, and perfect (Rom. 12:1-2). Tell the Lord that you will not seek your own will in this day, but will surrender entirely to Him. The following prayer can be used:
Sample Prayer of Surrender
Father, I surrender to You today with all my heart and soul. Lord Jesus, You are the Lord of my whole life. Dear Holy Spirit, I open all the secret places of my heart to You.
Oh God, I will hold nothing back. I offer up my body as a living sacrifice to be used entirely for You today. All that I have is Yours: my health, my time, my family, my successes, my failures, my relationships, my occupation, my times of relaxation and of work. I release these things and let them go. I surrender my fears, my insecurities, my sexuality, my strengths, and my weaknesses. I especially surrender _______________, ___________________, and _____________________. I surrender my understanding of how these things ought to be, my choices, and my will. I want to relate to these things as a steward, receiving my strength and my direction from You. Take me and use me. Amen.
Alternatively, you could read or sing softly, “I Surrender All,” “All For Jesus,” or some other hymn of surrender.
Alternatively, you could pray the following prayer of St Ignatius: “Take, Lord, and receive, all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. You have given all to me. To You, O Lord, I return it. All is Yours. Dispose of it wholly according to Your will. Give me Your love and Your grace, for this is sufficient for me.”