Peace in Surrender

“And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.” -1 Samuel 1:15

            There is nothing we can bring to God, or before God, in hopes to make an exchange.  He is not a pawn shop broker, or a business man on Wall Street looking to make a deal.  We are conditioned by this world to think that if we get something we must first give something of equal value.  Contrariwise, if we give something we expect to get something in return.  This is not so when it comes to things of the spirit.  Must we give?  Must we yield?  Must we pour out or souls?  Yes, certainly, but it is not because God is a miser; it is because he is merciful.  It is not because God is a tyrant, rather, he is a Savior.  Peace does not come in the exchange, but in the offering.   

           

There has been many a person, sanctified or lost, that has reached a point where the load they are carrying is too great for them to bear.  The cares of this world are many, and the weight of them on the individual can be mighty.  We strain and struggle, fuss and fret, over many things; some very serious, some mole hills that have been morphed into mountains, but the reality to us is, they are great.  When the burdens of life or the burdens of sin weigh down on a person, that person will look for a way to lighten the load.  Depending on the way you take, it can mean victory or defeat, struggle or peace.  If the way you choose is singularly based in self then you will fail.  Self being the inherent selfish: desires, ideals, wills, and wishes that encapsulate who you are.  You can be sanctified or sinner, but if your way is based in self (i.e. “your” way) it will bring destruction.  The cares may overwhelm people and they turn to something that will make them feel better.  This can bring destruction of all kinds.  There are those that turn to others, putting their faith in someone that they think or believe can help or heal them.  Or, you can be the type that admits nothing, yields nothing, and simply plods along in anguish refusing to let go because of your own pride and arrogance.  Trying to rid ourselves of the burdens we bear by our self is like trying to get out of quicksand, the more you struggle the faster you sink.  So what then?  Where is the hope?  Where is the relief?  Where is the peace?  Hannah was a women of sorrowful spirit and she poured out her soul before the Lord.  There was no barter or negotiation, no expectation of immediate gratification, or temporary solace; she was sincere, earnest, and abandoned concerning her burden.  Her hope was in God, her faith in action, and she didn’t care who saw or how they felt about it.  There was nothing selfish about it, only giving and yielding.   

           

There are so many things that we turn to in this world expecting predetermined results.  It can be something, someone, or ourselves, we turn to it expecting return.  Certainly these things give back, but never satisfy.  God wants our all, but he doesn’t want it with conditions.  He just wants us to give with abandonment.  Has he ever a sinner not pardoned?  No.  Has he ever a saint not lifted?  No.  He is faithful, just, and true, but because he is; this does not mean that we should take Him for granted and treat Him like an ATM machine.  He wants us to “cast” all our cares, he wants us to pour out our souls.  He wants us to give it all over, not with a predetermined expected return, rather, total abandonment to the merits of God and Jesus Christ, because he is worthy and there is peace in surrender.