Day 1
As We Enter the Fast, We Surrender Our Will and Our Desires to God
"Many are the plans in the heart of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will prevail." -Proverbs 19:21
From the time of our youth, we are often asked what we want.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
What college do you want to attend?
Do you want to get married? Have children?
What kind of life do you want to live?
There’s nothing wrong with these questions. They encourage us to dream, plan, and prepare for the future. But in all my years on this earth, I've rarely heard someone ask,
"Where do you sense God leading your life?"
After years of being asked these questions, we subconsciously begin believing that we are solely responsible for shaping every aspect of our lives. We feel pressure to have all the answers, to know exactly where we're going and how we're going to get there. I remember feeling that pressure myself, always believing I needed to have a plan and be ready to answer questions about it. Don’t get me wrong, planning is important.
Scripture encourages us to exercise wisdom and diligence.
However, as followers of Christ, we ask ourselves a greater question…Who is the Author of the many plans of our hearts? The world tells us to take control of our lives and our future, but our Father teaches us that our lives are in His hands. We are not called to write our own story; we are called to yield to the will of the Father, walking faithfully in the story He is writing.
Jesus gives us the perfect picture of what surrender looks like in Mark 14:36:
“And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”
As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He knew the suffering that lay before Him. The weight of the world's sin rested on His heart, and His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow. In His humanity, Jesus asked the Father if there was another way.
"Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me."
The first thing Jesus made clear is, “all things are possible for You”. He is acknowledging the power of God to do all things. His faith in the Father's power shaped the way He prayed. He knew that God was able. He knew nothing was impossible. He knew that God could deliver Him from His suffering in the blink of an eye. Yet His prayer didn't end with what He wanted. It ended with surrender.
"Yet not what I will, but what You will."
In this moment, we see the tension between the human will and complete trust in the will of the Father. The human will often changes with our circumstances. When life is difficult, we seek relief. When we don't understand God's timing, we want answers. Sometimes we grow impatient and try to handle things ourselves. When the road becomes painful, we want to take another route. Our will and desires can deceive us because they are limited to what we can see. Whereas God’s will is not limited to our human perspective.
We pray according to what we can see, but God works according to what He already knows.
No matter how big our dreams, goals, or aspirations may be, they can never carry us as far as God's purposes for our lives. Scripture tells us that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or imagine- Ephesians 3:20. We often ask God to bless our plans, while He is inviting us into plans that are greater than anything we could have imagined for ourselves.
The prophet Isaiah reminds us:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8–9)
When I look back over my own life, I realize God has taken me places my imagination never even thought to pray for. He has opened doors I didn't know existed and written chapters I never could have imagined. His plans have consistently been better than anything I could come up with myself. Yielding our will can feel unsettling because we naturally build our lives around what we can see and control. Surrender can feel unsafe when we don't fully understand where God is leading us.
But Scripture reminds us of God's heart toward His children:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Roman 8:28)
God is not asking us to surrender to uncertainty. He is asking us to surrender to a good and loving Father. A Father whose character is unchanging. He has shown us time and time again that He is faithful, He is able, He is trustworthy, His Word is true, and His love never fails.
As we begin this fast, the greatest thing we surrender may not be food, social media, or another one of life’s comforts. Perhaps God is asking us to place our own will on the altar first.
Our plans.
Our timeline.
Our expectations.
Our desire to control the outcome.
Jesus understood that although the cross was painful, the Father's plan was perfect. Because of His willingness to surrender His desire and yield to the Father's will, there is forgiveness, freedom, eternal life, and the hope of salvation for all who believe in Him.
This proves that there is power in surrender. So may our prayer become the prayer of Jesus:
"Yet not what I will, but what You will."
Listening Prayer:
Holy Spirit, show me where I have placed my own will before the will of God in my life. Help me to trust in Your will, Your wisdom, and Your sight. I surrender myself to You completely.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, how perfect You are. How good You have been to me. The safest place I'll ever be is in You. Thank You for Your good and perfect will for my life and family. Forgive me for taking control where You've called me to yield. I surrender, Lord. I surrender. Let Your plans and purposes prevail in my heart. Lead me, guide me, and teach me Your ways. I long to see Your desires revealed in and through me. I trust You because You are faithful. I trust You because You have always been kind.
Oh Abba, thank You that no matter how many plans I have, Your purposes stand above them all. Lord, bring me into full alignment with Your will. If there is anything in my life that is not in alignment with Your will, cut it out because I don't want it. Help me trust You when I can't see beyond my perspective. Help me to slow down, be still, and listen closely to Your voice. May my life reflect Your heart. Shape me into the person You created me to be. Thank You, Lord. I honor You with my whole heart because You alone are worthy of it all. In Jesus Christ's precious name, Amen.
Resources: Bible Verse on Surrendering to God’s Will
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
John 5:30
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Galatians 5:24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Matthew 6:9-10
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Romans 12:1–2
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice... Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
James 4:13–15
"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town...' Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'"
Psalm 143:10
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!"