I Surrender

I am currently reading John Ortberg’s new book Steps: A Guide to Transforming Your Life When Willpower Isn’t Enough. It is largely based on the 12 steps commonly associated with Alcoholics Anonymous and other recovery groups. As has often been noted, there tends to be more honesty and acceptance among the AA members that meet in the church basement than there is in the congregation that meets upstairs in the sanctuary. The church could learn from their example.

In Christian traditions we often think of surrender as something we do when we first come to salvation, and we forget that it is a daily choice to surrender to God. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

Martin Luther wrote that “the entire life of believers should be repentance,” not just repenting of known sins, but of constantly turning away from our self-sufficiency and trusting in Christ’s strength, grace, and mercy for all aspects of life. We are far more needy than we are often willing to admit. It is pride, and its flip side of shame, that keeps us from being honest about our many weaknesses. We think we need to be stronger than we are, so we put on our best mask before we leave the house. We keep trying to push through instead of surrendering to the fact that we can’t do anything apart from Christ. Ortberg comments:

“For most of my life I believed, without ever reflecting on it much, that I could mostly do what needs to be done... And I’ve come to realize I can’t... I can’t heal those closest to me. I can’t fix my heart. I can’t control how people think of me. I can’t make my fear go away. I can’t make my sadness go away. I can’t fix my shame or my envy or my anger. I can’t stop my awful dread of what might happen in the future... I don’t mean that I used to not be able to do those things, but now I’m strong and all is okay, and I will share with you the secret of how I did it. I mean that I cannot do it. Now. I live in that pain from one day to the next. I will never know a daily peace in my life apart from the pain that is a daily piece of my life” (“Step 1A”).

The long version of the Serenity Prayer says:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time,
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace,
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it,
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His will—
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.

I don’t think most of us want to accept that hardships are the pathway to peace. But it is through hardship that we realize how dependent we are on God. We’d rather pursue fleeting happiness in this life by relying on our own ingenuity or looking for ways to numb the pain. Self-reliance cannot bring true peace because we’ll constantly be wondering whether we have the resources to make it through the next hardship. Ortberg says.

“I am prone to believe that my superior ability to think things through can handle any problem. But a common line at AA meetings is ‘Remember, your best thinking got you here’” (“Step 1C”).

I’m coming to realize (at least sometimes) how little is actually under my control. That can create anxiety, but it can also spur me to pray “OK, God, I know I can’t change this, so help me to trust that You actually are the One in control.” In my prayer journal, there is a recurring refrain of “help me remember” and “help me to trust.”

Jesus said it clearly, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Not just “apart from Me you can only do so much,” but “you can do nothing!” Maybe over time we’ll remember to start each day by surrendering our lofty, self-sufficient dreams for life and determine to walk with Jesus in the good works that He has already prepared for us (Eph. 2:10), honestly embracing our weaknesses and limitations for the glory of God.

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See also “Luther’s First Thesis and Last Words.”

© 2025 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.