Abandonment

-

Reading this morning from Luke, chapter 5, verse 16:  
"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."

I wonder what Jesus said to his Father when he withdrew to pray?  Was it anything like the things I say to Him?  I would love to have been there to eavesdrop on Jesus' prayers.

I'm sure the things he said to the Father were wrapped in an attitude of total submission.  Jesus' prayer at the end of his life was true throughout his life. "Not my will, but yours be done." Everything Jesus said to Satan in the wilderness reflected his commitment to his final obedience in the garden. Jesus' life was one of total trust, and total abandonment to the Father.

Are my prayers reflective of total trust, total submission to God? 

No.  I can tell there's a holdback, a fear of submitting completely.  I sense it in my spirit. 

Jesus' submission was complete.  Even in the garden, when He faced his greatest challenge to submission, He gave himself to the will of the Father absolutely, with no questions, no hesitation between "if it be possible," and "nevertheless, not my will but yours be done." His abandonment was so pure and complete that He and his Father became not two individuals, but One.

My submission, sincere as my wish is that it be complete, still reflects the submission of one separate individual to another, sometimes through gritted teeth.  My determined submission comes between us.  It's a constant decision, not a constant reality. 

Why?  Because I don't trust totally.  I'm afraid.  I'm proud.  I still think my way is better.

I want to get past the point of choosing to submit.  I want my submission to be a constant abandonment instead of a constant desire to abandon.

There are at least two reasons I should move into that constant abandonment.  1) It's the right thing to do: He created me, so he has a right to my submission.  And 2) It's to my benefit: He loves me, so He wants only good for me in my submission.

Lord, bring me to the place of oneness with you that comes through complete submission.  Make my submission to you a forever abandonment instead of a day-by-day struggle against my fears and selfish ambitions. 

Comments

Janet Sketchley said…
Amen, Ginny! I've been struggling with this lately (why am I not surprised we're walking similar journeys again?) and your words have helped.
September 17, 2013 at 12:26 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Mystery of Growth

-
Image
When I pray about a problem or a struggle, too often I find myself expecting God to simply step in and fix things.   I expect the fixing to be immediate, and I expect it to be painless and effortless on my part.   I watch for a flash of lightning at the end of my prayer that either gives me the solution or whips me out of the situation I'm unhappy with. This flash of lightning rarely comes. I've been working in my garden this spring.   I don't know what I'm doing.   I've never had a green thumb.   But I figure since I have some space now and extra time on my hands I might as well see if I can do something constructive with it. But it's discouraging.   I planted nasturtium seeds, sweet peas, and marigolds, which I've heard keep out the garden pests, but none of them have sprouted.   I put in three tomato plants two weeks ago and they haven't grown an inch. Other people have zucchinis already and I only have wisps of green shoot
Read more

Four Types of Besetting Sins and Three Reasons to Avoid Them!

-
Image
--> What is a besetting sin? A besetting sin is anything that dethrones the legitimate ruler of our hearts.  Basically, a besetting sin is an idol.  If you are a believer, you have chosen to allow Jesus Christ to sit on the throne of your life.  He is the only rightful ruler of any human heart, and any attitude or action that disturbs His presence there, at the center, is a sin.  When that sin is allowed to remain, it becomes a habit, or a besetting sin. Besetting sins begin with an  attitude .  Sometimes a heart attitude, itself, is the sin, and other times the attitude leads to  actions  that are sinful.  In any case, when the attitude becomes engrained in our spirits, it becomes a besetting sin. Ø Pride  is the mother of all sins.  Pride puts the self on the throne, and so is the ultimate expression of sin.  It's the sin that was, and still is, Satan's downfall, and it's the one we have the most trouble with.  Pride is probably t
Read more

A Risky Business

-
Image
  My life seems to be a constant growth cycle.    I go from an initial place of trusting in God, to an insurmountable problem, to worry and anxiety, to remembering His faithfulness in the past, to choosing to believe once again, to one small encouraging sign of His love—a sign that grows the faith even before I see the answer, to praise for Who He is and what He is going to do, and then, finally, to the miracle. Then we begin again, with a slightly more insurmountable problem.   This faith walk is like following stepping stones across a raging river. I step out, jump onto the next three stones that are nearby, then look around for another foothold. I see none at first, then one that is close but requires a bit of a stretch, then another that is no bigger than the size of my foot. This one seems too far to hazard a leap but there is no other option. I cannot go back. So I leap, and then keep on going as far as I can, taking chances, and a
Read more