"But He knoweth the way that I take;
when he hath tried me, I shall
come forth as gold"
(Job 23:10)
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As I take a close look at my life, I can see where God has been working. I can feel the pain of the circumcision of heart that has been and still is occurring. But I am also well aware that as this process is at times painful, I am also blessed that along with this discomfort, I have experienced some amazing moments of grace.
Moments of grace that God so lovingly places upon my head following those agonizing revelations of soul that aren't always easy to accept.
Sweet moments of grace that take place while I'm on my face before Him, after strong conviction of heart has compelled me to go face down at my Savior's feet.
Moments of grace that accompany the acknowledgement of my failures, my shortcomings and my frailty as I get honest with my Lord. As I strive for authenticity before my Savior, He bestows sweet grace upon me time after time.
God is revealing and exposing. He is refining and purifying. Bringing my allegiance to Him to a new level. Causing me to take a closer look at the strength of my faith. My trust. My surrender.
He is shaking me to the core in some areas and taking me to higher grounds in others. One area that He is really holding to the fire is the area of surrender.
Do I fully understand what surrender is and what it entails? Am I really willing to surrender all? To follow Him wherever He may lead? Or am I only willing to go where I am comfortable. Or am I only willing to go as long as it isn't too far from my children and grandchildren?
Have I surrendered all? With no strings attached? Surrender isn't surrender at all if it is conditional. True surrender isn't contingent on anything or anybody. It is about following God's plan for your life regardless of where He calls you or what He calls you to do. Surrender is the gospel of Christ.
Surrender begins with repentance. Repentance of things past. Repentance of the need to control. Repentance of a lack of faith. Repentance of not putting Him first.
God has shown me that once my heart gets into a repentant state, then He is able to begin the process of building up those things that are necessary for a truly surrendered life.
Love. Trust. Faith.
The deeper my love for Him, the greater my willingness to follow Him anywhere. As my love grows deeper, my trust in Him and my faith in Him broadens accordingly. And then as these things continue to grow deep within my heart and soul, the need to surrender to Him comes bursting forth. The desire to let God be in complete and total control of my life then becomes the cry of my heart.
As He takes me from shattered to surrendered, He is also so faithful to drop those amazing moments of grace into my life. Those moments of grace that confirm all that He is doing in my life and at the same time affirm who He is to my spirit. Those precious moments of grace where He reveals Himself to me with love and patience. Those sweet moments of grace that I begin to really see.
The gospel is unconditional surrender of all that we are and all that we have to all that He is - David Platt, Radical
Thank you, Lord, for never giving up on me. Thank you for the process of refinement that is taking place in my life. May I endure the process with joy and after I have been tried, I pray that I come forth as gold.
